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PIONEER LIFE; 



OR, 



CJjirtg gears a punter. 



i> * BEING 



r i 



SCENES AND ADVENTURES 



IN THE LIFL OP 



PHILIP TOME, 

FIFTEEN \!A.nS INIEUPSETEE FOR COBWPLANTEB AND 
CHIErS ON THE ALLEGANY RIVER. 



BUFFALO: 

PUBLISHED FOE THE AUTII » E 

1354. 







Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, by James Faxon, 
i-n the Clerk's Office of the Northern District cf New York. 



I N T R D UC T I N . 



In presenting the following incidents of my life, 
to the public, I do not intend to claim for it beaut v 
of expression, for it is the production of one bom 
in the wilderness; one who is more conversant with 
the howl of the wolf and panther, and the whoop 
of the savage, than the tones of oratory, as heard 
in civilized life. 

It is said that truth is often more strange than 
fiction ; and those in pursuit of the marvelous will 
not be disappointed in perusing these rage's. 
fhey are full of scenes in Border Life, accidc- 
and hair-breadth escapes. 

The lover of the hunt will find faithfully por- 
trayed, the exciting scenes of the chase, the £ . 
with the elk, the wolf and the panther, and herein 
be enabled to gather the experience of nearly half 
a century as to the best mode of securing ever/ 
description of game to be found in- our fbrest3. 

1 



Yl INTEODUCTION. 

The general reader will find it replete with 
scenes of wild, stirring and thrilling ^interest ; it 
being the narrative of one who, in all the scenes 
of border life was never conquered by man or 
animal. P T. 

Corydon, Pa., April, 1854. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

PARENTAGE AND EARLY LIFE, - - 9 

CHAPTER U. 

HUNTING THE ELK, - - 18 

CHAPTER HI. 

CAPTURING A LIVE ELK, - - -23 

CHAPTER IV. 

FACE OP THE COUNTRY, - - - - - 33 

CHAPTER V. 

FACE OF THE COUNTET— CONTINUED, - - 46 

CHAPTER VI. 

DANGER FROM RATTLESNAKES, - 55 

CHAPTER VII. 

WOLF AND DEER HUNTING-, 67 

CHAPTER VHI. 

ANOTHER ELK HUNT, - - - 74 

CHAPTER IX. 

ELK HUNTING ON THE SUSQUEHANNAH, 92 



V1U COiXTEBls. 

PAGE. 

CHAPTER X. 

ELK HUNTING ON THE SUSQUEHANN AH— CONTINUED, 109 

CHAPTER XL 

NATURE, HABITS, AND MANNER OF HUNTING THE 

ELK, ----... 11^ 

CHAPTER XII. 

ELK AND BEAR HUNTING IN WINTER - - 124 

CHAPTER XHL 

HUNTING ON THE CLARION RIYEE, - - - 139 

CHAPTER XIV. 

HUNTING AND TRAPPING, - - - * - - 150 

CHAPTER XV. 

THE BEAR — ITS NATURE AND HABITS, - - 164 

CHAPTER XVI. 

HUNTING DEER AT DIFFERENT SEASONS, - 176 

CHAPTER XVII. 
nature and habits of the panther, wolf and 

fox, 186 

CHAPTER XVIII. < 

RATTLESNAKES AND THEIR HABITS, - - - 193 

CHAPTER XIX. 

DISTINGUISHED LUMBERMEN; &C, - - - 202 

CHAPTER XX. 

REMINISCENCES OF CORNPLANTEE, - - 208 

CHAPTER XXL 

INDIAN ELOQUENCE, - - - 220 



CHAPTER L 

BIRTH AND EARLY LITE. 

I was born March 22d, 1782, in Dauphin County, 
Pennsylvania, near where the city of Harrisburg 
now stands. My parents were both of German 
extraction. They moved up the Susquehannah River 
about ninety miles in 1786, traveling in a keel boa' 
there being no roads or other mode of conveyance. 
They landed at a place called Farris Creek in what 
was then Northumberland county, and remained* 
there about four months, when the Six Nations oi 
Indians began to trouble the inhabitants on the west 
branch of the Susquehannah. We then moved back 
into Cumberland county, five miles from, Harrisburg, 
on the west side of the Susquehannah. At that time 
the Indians distressed the inhabitants for about eight- 
een months. We remained there two or three years, 
when, the Indians having become peaceable, we re- 
turned up the river, and stopped at Warry Run, 
about two miles above the junction of the two 
branches of the Susquehannah. 



10 pioneek lite; or, 

In 1791, my father purchased some land about 
seventy miles up the west branch of the river in the 
wilderness. He hired men and paid them in advance 
to build a house. They did not fulfil their contract, 
but having raised and enclosed it, left it without 
chimney, door, window, or floor, while the bushes 
ten feet high were left standing in the middle of the 
house. On the first of November my father started 
lor his residence, and loaded a keel boat with provis- 
ions sufficient for one year, irons for a mill, and a 
supply of clothing. He was six days going fifty 
miles. He then arrived at the mouth of Pine Creek, 
six miles from his destination, but could proceed no 
farther with his boat, on account of low water. He 
then hired ten canoes, and started with such articles 
ae he most needed. He arrived at his house the 20th 
of November. 

It was very cold; the men had been dragging the 
boats, and the women were nearly frozen. "When 
within two miles of the house two of the men who 
assisted in building it asked the privilege of going 
ahead to make a fire. When we arrived in sight 
vre saw a large fire, which revived our spirits greatly, 
for the snow was falling rapidly, the wind blew cold. 
and we were chilled through. A hole had been left 
for a chimney, and a fire built on that side of the 
house, and when we arrived the men were cutting 
out the brush. My father asked why things had 
been left in this state. They replied that they could 
not induce the other men to proceed any farther 
with the' job. Father then demanded why they had 



THIRTY TEAKS A HUNTER. 11 

not informed him a day or two earlier, and was in- 
clined to be somewhat angry, when my mother inter- 
posed, and said if we could get through the first night 
it would do. We soon became warm, had our supper, 
went to sleep and passed the night very comfortably. 
The next morning all hands went to work and made 
a floor and chimney, and plastered the house, and 
accomplished it in two days. On the 25th my father 
commenced his mill. He had to hew and split out 
all the timbers to be used for building. He had also 
a race to dig and a dam to build, and he had it all 
finished by the first of March. 

At that time game, such as bears, elk, deer and 
wild turkeys were very plenty in that section of the 
country. I had two brothers old enough to hunt, but 
they had no gun except an old musket which my 
father had used while training. In the morning we 
would frequently find the deer feeding within twenty 
rods of the house. Sometimes, wo would see a drove 
of elk, fifteen or twenty in number, crossing the river. 
At other times we saw bears traveling back and for- 
ward. But we had no hunters among the six men, 
and no gun but the old musket, and that was out of 
order. On the 5th of December two of our nearest 
neighbors, (who lived twelve miles distant) came to 
see us, bringing two guns and two dogs, but no am- 
munition. There was no powder or lead in that part 
of the country except what my father had, and he 
supplied them what they needed. They then hunted 
about two days for my father to procure him a supply 
of wild meat. Notwithstanding they were little 



ski^i :z h— :izir. sad lift -=W&er w*s ^sfiTersbk, 
tiser t2kd ftar deer, lad two burse to 

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THTBTT YEAB3 A HTTSTEP.. 13 

I will now lay before the reader the height of 
the mountains, the kind of game that is to be found 
on them, and other particulars of the country, from 
the mouth of Pine Creek to the first point Every 
family owned a canoe for the purpose of traveling up 
and down the river. In winter they had good ice to 
travel on, which lasted about three months. That 
was the season in which the greatest amount of busi- 
tM done by the settlers. The mountains were 
about a mile in height, and abundance of deer, bear?, 
foxes, wolves and panthers, but no elk were fou: 
them. 

The most successful mode of killing deer from the 
first of June to the last of September was to fire-hunt 
them, which was done in the following manner: The 
deer would come to the river after dark to eat the 
moss which grew on the bottom, and collect together 
about the ripples, in groups from three to ten. The 
hunters would build a fire of yellow pitch pine in 
the middle of a canoe and station a man in the 
stern to steer, and one or two more in front to fire at 
the deer. When there were no deer in sight they 
could push and paddle the canoe along. When they 
came within sisrht of the deer the canoe was allowed 
to float down with the current, and the steersman 
laid it in a position the most advantageous for those 
who were in the bow with guns. The deer would 
generally raise their heads and stand looking at the 
fire until the canoe came within a few yards of them. 
The hunters could judge by their movements whether 
thev would make a break or stand still until thev 



II 

came near them, and tired or not according to tha 
movements of the deer. When the deer attempted 
to run out of the water where the bank was bluff and 
steep, they would see their own shadows, and think- 
ing it was a dog or a wolf, would utter a cry and 
spring back into the water, sometimes coming near 
enough to the canoe to give the hunters two or three 
more shots at them. In this manner they would kill 
from one to four deer in one place. Having dressed 
and laid out the meat on the shore, they would pro- 
ceed down the river in search of another group. If 
the night was favorable, from three to ten deer were 
killed in this manner. On their return they would 
fish for eels, salmon and other fish, and take in their 
venison as they came along. Their canoes were 
capable of carrying from 2,000 to 4,000 pounds with 
safety. With a five-tined spear they would take from 
twenty to sixty eels and a large quantity of salmon; 
and in the morning return home with iish and venison 
bufficient to supply an ordinary family two months. 

A woman belonging to a family residing on the 
bank of the creek, about half a mile above the first 
fork, was washing at the creek, accompanied by four 
or five small children, when one of them looking up 
the stream exclaimed, "What a handsome big red 
dog is coming ! " The animal made a halt on the 
top of the bank within fifty feet of the children, 
and stood looking at them. Another boy cried " It 
isn't a dog; it is a panther ! " At that moment a 
cat came out of the house, and the panther made a 
gpring at her, when she ran up a tree, followed by 



HiafT YEARS A HUNTER. 15 

the panther. The cat leaped from the tree, and the 
panther seized her just as she struck the ground. 
The family hurried into the house and closed the 
doors, and thus escaped. After the panther had 
devoured the cat he stood looking at the house and 
moved along the path. In about half an hour a 
neighbor came along with a dog and gun. The pan- 
ther continued to move slowly off, and the woman 
came out and acquainted the neighbor with the cir- 
cumstances. He immediately started in pursuit, and 
the panther being driven up a tree by the dog, was 
brought to the ground by a well-aimed shot. It was 
a very large one, measuring four and a half feet 
from the tip of the nose to the tail. 
^ Two miles from that place, up Big Pine Creek, 
lived a family consisting of a man and three females. 
The house stood on a flat lying between the river 
and the rocky bluff, which rose to the height of 
forty or fifty feet. In the month of January the 
man was absent teaching school, and no one was left 
at home but the women. On the morning of a blus- 
tering day in the early part of the month, as one of 
the women was going to the river for a pail of water 
she heard a scream proceeding from the side of 
the hill, which sounded like the voice of a woman 
in distress. She returned into the house and told 
the others that she thought there was woman on the 
hill in trouble. They all went to the door to ascer- 
tain the source of the cries, when they saw moving 
toward them an animal which they took at first for a 
dog. When it had approached within fifty yards, 



16 PIONEER LIFE ; OR, 

they discovered to their horror that it was a panther. 
They retreated into the house and closed the doors. 
Three geese which belonged to the family were on 
the ice of the river ; the panther discovered them, 
and having captured one, he returned with it to his 
den among the rocks. After he had been gone some 
time, they went out together and procured wood and 
water enough to supply them until the next day. 
The following morning at about the same hour, the 
panther returned, uttering the same terrific cries, 
and carried away another of the geese. On the 
third morning he again made his appearance and 
took the remaining goose. He had now become 
wonted to the vicinity, and the terrified women were 
at a loss what they conld do. Their nearest neigh- 
bors were distant two miles in one direction, and 
three in the other, and any attempt to procure succor 
from that source would expose them to an attack 
from the animal which was prowling near. In order 
to prevent the panther from entering by the chim- 
ney, they covered it over witli boards taken from the 
floor, and kept up a fire all night. The next morn- 
ing, when the too familiar cries of their besieger 
were heard, they turned out the dog. The panther 
closed in with him, drove him against the door, and 
after a short struggle killed and carried him off. 
The morning following, Eice Hamlin, who lived 
about three miles distant, and who had been en- 
gaged to call on them once a week, to supply them 
with fire-wood and render any necessary assistance, 
paid them his customary visit. When he knocked 



THTBTT YEAE8 A HUNTER. 17 

at the door they demanded who it was that desired 
admittance. Upon learning who was at the door 
they opened it at once, and informed him of 
the visits of their unwelcome neighbor. lie entered, 
and they cleared the house of the smoke, which had 
become almost suffocating. As he stepped to the 
door to see if the panther was near, Hamlin heard 
his scream. He immediately started in pursuit, ac- 
companied by his dog. As they came up, the pan- 
ther jumped upon a rock about twenty-five feet high. 
Hamlin did not discover him at first, but kept up a 
search, supposing him to be up a tree. The dog saw 
the panther, but being unable to follow, kept running 
around in an uneasy manner. Hamlin at length 
happened to look up the rocks and his eyes met those 
of the panther, just as the latter was about to make 
a spring upon him. Instantly bringing up his gun, 
he fired with an unerring aim, and the animal came 
tumbling heavily to the ground at Hamlin's feet. 
The ball had penetrated its forehead. It was a very 
large one, weighing about two hundred pounds. 



CHAPTER II. 

HUNTING THE ELK. 

In August, 1795, my father, Jacob Tome, Jerry 
Morrison and myself started for an elk hunt. Tak 
ing salt and flour with us, we pushed up our canoe 
to a place called Hound Island. After hunting two 
days among the islands, we became convinced tha< 
there were no elk there, although they were some 
times very plenty, collecting at this season in droves 
Morrison proposed that we should proceed to i 
point called Stony Lick, about seven miles back, on 
the east side of the river, at the second fork of Pine 
Creek, and twelve miles above their junction. My 
father readily consented to the proposal, as Morrison 
was an older and more experienced hunter than he. 
When we arrived within two miles of the Lick, wo 
discovered the tracks of two elks, a buck and a doe. 
We followed the tracks about half a mile, when we 
judged by the indications that they had taken a 
great leap, as if suddenly frightened. The trails 
from that place took a different direction. My father 
and Morrison followed the buck, while I took the 
track of the doe, keeping sight of my companions at 
the same time. Before I had proceeded far, I found 
some of the small intestines of the doe upon the 



THEBTT YEAB8 A HUNTER. 19 

ground. I called to the others to come, and before 
they arrived I found the entrails strewn all along the 
track. My companions now came up, and Morrison 
said it was the work of a panther. After following 
the track a short distance we found the doe lying 
dead, and bearing marks which fully confirmed 
Morrison's conjecture. She was completely disem- 
bowelled, her throat torn open, and her blood suoked. 
We skinned her, salted the meat in the skin, and put 
it away between two logs. We now resumed our 
route for Stony Lick, and encamped near there that 
night. About eight o'clock the next morning, while 
we were preparing to return to the meat we had left 
the previous day, and- see if it had been disturbed by 
the panther, we heard the roar of an elk. Morrison 
decided at once that it was the buck which we had 
been tracking, and started in pursuit, taking with 
him his dog. If he could not shoot him, he was to 
let the dog chase him down. My father and I re- 
mained at our encampment waiting to hear the dis- 
charge of Morrison's gun. After goinV half a mile 
he met the elk coming on his back track, and browght 
him down at a distance of about sixty yards. We 
cut off his horns, which were upward of ♦six feet in 
length, having eleven branches — six on one horn, 
and five on the other. The carcass weighed between 
five and six hundred pounds. Our next object was 
to get him down to the water where we could skin 
him. This was finally accomplished after three 
hours dragging and rolling. Father and Morrison 
commenced skinning the buck, and asked me if I 



20 . pioneer life; of, 

was willing to go where we had left the doe,"about 
three-quarters of a mile distant, and see if it had 
been disturbed. I roadily consented, on condition 
that they would allow me to take a gun and the two 
dogs. I was but thirteen years old, and they thought 
I would not venture so far from them. As I was 
starting away, I overheard Morrison saying to my 
father, " You will see him coming back soon " My 
father, however, said if I started he did not think I 
would return without seeing the doe. I went, and 
finding every thing undisturbed, returned to my 
companions. They finished skinning and salting the 
elk about two o'clock, and Morrison proposed to go 
himself over to Mud Lick, about two miles distant, 
on the east branch of the second fork, and see if any 
elk had been there, while my father and I were to 
watch for them at Stony Lick. We were to meet in 
the evening where we had skinned the elk. We 
went down to the Lick and concealed ourselves be- 
hind some logs. My father commenced mending 
his moccasins* and directed me to watch the Lick. 
I stationed myself in front of some roots, out 
of my father's sight. A small stream ran below me, 
in which were some very fine large trout. The 
stream was very shallow, and it occurred to me that 
if I could stop the water, I might throw out some of 
the trout So I slipped down to the stream, unper- 
ceived by my father, went up past him, threw an old 
log across, and gathered moss and stopped the water. 
Then I went below, and threw out some thirty fine 
large trout. My father looked after me, and seeing 



THIJBTY TEAKS A HUSTEB. 21 

what I was doing, asked me laughingly if that was 
the way I watched the Lick. I replied that I wanted 
some trout for supper. While I was stringing my 
fish I heard a stone rattle about a hundred yards 
below me. I turned, and saw a panther looking at 
nae. I sprang up the bank and informed my father 
what I had seen. Telling me to keep quiet, and 
make the dog lie down, he stationed himself behind 
a root having a hole in it, through which he pointed 
his gun, and waited the panther's approach. When 
it had come within three rods of us, it paused, with 
its fore feet upon the bank, and its mouth open, dis- 
playing a formidable array of glistening teeth. My 
father fired, and it fell back dead. The ball had 
passed through its open mouth, and broken the ver- 
tebrae of the neck. We cut it open and left it there. 
It was larger than any panther I ever Saw before or 
since, and I have seen some thirty : we supposed it 
to weigh between two and three hundred pounds. 
When we returned to the camp we found Morrison 
there before us. We now brought our venison toge- 
ther, and built a scaffold upon which we placed it to 
dry. It may be well here to describe the manner of 
preserving elk's meat in the summer. It is firs 4- cut 
in thin slices, and salted down in the skin. We 
always carried a bag of salt with us for that purpose. 
Two large poles are laid across crotches about five 
feet high, and a number of smaller ones are laid 
across these. After the meat has lain a sufficient 
length of time in the skin, it is spread upon this 
scaffold, and a slow fire built under it. The fire is 



22 pioneer life; ok, 

gradually increased and the meat turned until it it 
dried through. In t'us state it is called jerk. 

Leaving nay father to attend to this, Morrison and 
I started for home to procure horses with which to 
draw home our meat, going by way of the creek. 
It was twelve miles to the first fork, and four miles 
farther to Morrison's residence. I staid with Morri- 
son that night, and the next day went home, seven 
miles, took two horses and returned to Morrison's 
that night. When I arrived there, I found a man 
from Maryland, who wished to go into the woods 
and hunt elk. He took our horses, and Morrison's 
brother-in-law took two others, with whieh they 
started for the encampment, which they reached 
that night. The next day they loaded and came to 
Morrison's, and the following one we went home to 
my father's residence with his share of the venison 
and !>i<les 



CHAPTER :il. 

CAPTURING A LIVE ELK. 

\ 

In 1799, my father being at Irving Stephenson'* 
tavern, at the mouth of Pine Creek, found there a 
large collection of men. A horse called the Blue 
Dun, was kept there. It was a very large and 
powerful horse, and it was with difficulty that three 
men could take him from the stable. My father 
witnessed the operation, and laughed, saying that he 
could take the horse from tbe stable without any 
assistance. The others disputed this stoutly, saying 
tliat the horse would kill him if he attempted it; 
upon which he offered to bet twenty dollars that he 
could perforin it. His offer was soon accepted, and 
as he had not the money by him, he requested the 
loan of twenty dollars of an acquaintance who stood 
near. The man readily granted his request, and 
offered to go halves with him. He felt confident, 
from his acquaintance with my father, that he would 
accomplish it. The money was accordingly staked. 
Stevenson then remarked that four were concerned, 
two on a side ; and proposed to add to the bet four 
bottles of wine and four dinners. The opposite 
party thought there was no risk, and were willing to 
bet any thing ; so the proposal was accepted. My 



24r PIONEER LIFE ; OB, 

father then stipulated that he should be allowed to 
strike the horse just as he chose. The opposite 
party insisted that he should not strike the horse, at 
all, and they finally left the matter to four men, who 
decided that he might strike the horse in any man- 
ner he chose, provided he did it no material injury. 
He then prepared to go into the stable. When they 
saw him so willing to perform his undertaking, they 
offered to withdraw the bet, fearing that Ire would 
be killed at the first movement. But my father said 
"No; what I have said, I will try to do." As he 
opened the door and went in, they tried to persuade 
him to abandon the undertaking, saying that he 
would lose his life. He replied coolly, " I have to 
die but once." He went up to the horse and spoke 
coaxingly, when it looked ill-natured and turned to 
kick at him. He struck the horse three times in 
lhc flank with his open hand, so sharply that it 
sounded like the crack of a whip. When he spoke to 
the horse again he stood and trembled. He then 
went to the horse's head to put on a bridle, when he 
appeared restive, and attempted to bite him. He 
spoke to him again, and struck him three times with 
a stick which he held in his hands so severely that 
the third blow brought him to his knees. The ani- 
mal now seemed subdued, and trembled from head to 
foot. My father then put the bridle upon him, which 
had not been done by one man alone for a year. 
He then spoke to the horse, wheeled him around 
and led him out of the stable. Seeing another horse 
lie begam to plunge, when my father struck him in 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 25 

! 

the flank three times with his open hand, and the 
eecond and third blows brought him to his knees. 
As he dropped to his knees the last time, my father 
sprang upon his back. The horse went off very 
quiet and gentle, and he rode it to water, came back, 
dismounted, and led him around the yard by the 
bridle in sight of other horses, but yet he remained 
quiet and docile. He then made him jump three or 
four times over a horse-trough, four or five feet high. 
He now told the others that if they would give him 
a bottle of wine he would take him up a flight of 
stairs that led to the chamber-floor of the barn. They 
eaid if he would do it they would give him five bot- 
tles of wine. He took the horse by the bridle, and 
led him up the stairs and down, when they gave up 
the bets. The whole party began to drink wine 
pretty freely and to talk about elk-hunting. Steven- 
son stepped up to my father and asked him if he 
could catch a live elk. He replied that he could ; 
when Stevenson offered to bet him on it. My father 
asked him what he was willing to bet. Stevenson 
said he was willing to go any length, and would bet 
two hundred and fifty pounds. My father said he 
would accept the bet. Stevenson pledged a house, 
lot and tanyard worth about the amount, and my 
father ga* r e seven hundred and fifty dollars worth of 
lumber, and two satisfactory sureties as security for 
the performance of the undertaking. The elk was to 
be between fourteen and sixteen hands high, and was 
to be caught alive and brought home in less than four 
months. My father finally asked to the middle f 



2b pioneer lite; ok, 

February, as there might be no snow in the oarly 
part of the winter to enable him to track them. Ste- 
venson said he might have till the first of March if 
he wished. The articles ©f agreement were drawn, 
the security given and the bargain concluded. It 
was then considered impossible to catch an elk alive, 
and all the old hunters said it was lost money. 

The first of January, 1800, he prepared for his 
hunt, and started, taking two of his boys and a man 
named Maddock, with a horse, four dogs, and ropes 
sufficient to hold an elk. They ascended on the ice 
eight miles to Morrison's, told him what he had un- 
dertaken, and requested him to go with them, as they 
wished to get his dog, which was good to hunt elk. 
Morrison declined going, as he considered an attempt 
to capture an animal so powerful and dangerous to 
be attended with much peril, and chose to keep out 
of harm's way. My father therefore concluded to 
try it the next morning with the help he then had. 
We accordingly started out on the east side of Pine 
Creek, up a small stream called Trout Kun, which we 
ascended seven miles. "We then came to a spot where 
the signs in the snow indicated that six or seven elk 
had been about a week before. We determined to 
encamp there for the night ; and as the weather was 
very cold and the snow began to fall, we all set to 
work with an axe and two tomahawks and built a 
shanty of hemlock boughs. The next morning, as 
the wind continued to blow very hard, and the snow 
was falling rapidly, we concluded to remain there 
until the weather was more fovorablc. About eleven 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 27 

o'clock the wind ceased, when we started. We trav- 
eled until three, but as the snow had filled up all the 
niches, we could not find the tracks. The weather 
being clear and cold, my father proposed that two of 
us should remain and build a shanty, and the other 
two start out, each on different routes, to look for elk 
tracks. My father and older brother started out, 
while Maddock and I remained to build a shanty. 
The others came back about sundown. We had our 
shanty completed, my father officiated as cook, and 
in our snug walls of hemlock boughs we forgot the 
toils and perils of the chase. My brother reported 
that he had seen tracks in a muddy place where the 
elk had been the night before. The next morning we 
started about sunrise, and proceeded to the place 
where Jacob had seen the tracks, arriving there about 
nine o'clock. The elk had taken a southern direction. 
When we had followed them about nine miles we 
came to a place where they had been feeding, and 
the tracks were quite fresh. They had been gone, 
as we judged, about two hours. We thought it best 
not to disturb them that day, as it was nearly night. 
We accordingly made an encampment and stayed 
there that night. The following morning, the 5th 
instant, we started about sunrise, and after following 
the track about three miles and a half, we found 
where the elk had lain the night before. About a 
mile farther we discovered two elk, both bucks, and 
one a little larger than the other. We tied up all the 
dogs but one, and let him give them chase. The 
larger one stood and fought the dog, but the other, as 



28 pioneee life; or, 

soon as he saw us, turned and started off in another 
direction, and we let another dog go. As the second 
dog came up, the elk started off, taking a southeast 
course to Pine Creek^ which he crossed. We all 
started after him and followed as fast as possible for 
twelve miles, when we met the dogs coming back. 
It was now four o'clock in the afternoon, and after 
proceeding two miles farther, encamped for the night 
taking care to secure the dogs. The next morning, 
January 6th, we started before sunrise, and after 
going about a mile, came to a place where the elk 
had fought the dogs and beat them back. About a 
mile farther he began to feed, and there lay down and 
staid all night. We kept on until we came within 
sight of him and let the two best dogs go. The elk 
kept a southeast course about eight miles, the dogs 
pursuing very closely, when he turned and fought 
them, as we judged, about half an hour. He then 
struck a northern or northeast course, to cross Big 
Pine Creek. He then ran some four miles farther, 
when he again turned and fought the dogs. From 
there he took a north course and ran about eight 
miles farther, to the Stony Fork on the second fork 
of Pine Creek, There he stood in the water and 
fought the dogs. We came to within two miles of 
that place and encamped for the night. About mid- 
night the dogs came back to the camp. The old elk- 
dog appeared very uneasy, looking wishfully in the 
direction from which they had come in, from which 
we concluded that the elk could not be far off. In 
the morning we started again, and soon came to the 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 29 

spot where the dogs had held the elk at bay in the 
water as we judged, about four hours. After the elk 
left the water he hud gone about two miles and com- 
menced feeding. When we had proceeded a short 
distance, we found the elk lying down. He sprang 
up as we approached, and stood looking at us until 
we were quite near him. We then let loose the two 
dogs which had not run the day before. They pur- 
sued him very closely about six miles and stopped 
him, until we came up. We then let the other dogs 
go, thinking he would go to some rock where he 
could ward off the attack of the dogs. He however 
took a southern course toward Big Pine Creek, and 
after running about four miles, got upon a rock on 
five side of the hill. But here he was so warmly 
attacked that he could no 4 : maintain his position, and 
so he started on again, ran about four miles farther, 
and backed up against the root of an upturned tree, 
where he again stood at bay. We then endeavored, 
by standing upon the trunk of the upturned tree, to 
throw a rope over his horns, but did not succeed. 
He started again, taking a southerly course toward 
the second fork of Big Pine Creek, and stopped on a 
large rock. At sundown we stopped within two 
miles of him, and one of the party went forward a 
short distance, and discovered where he was by the 
barking of the dogs. We then concluded to proceed 
as it was a bright, moonlight evening, and reached 
the rock about eight o'clock. We built a large fire 
within a few feet of the rock, and about eleven o'clock, 
we made the dogs come and lie down by the fire. Ai 



30 pioneer lite; ok, 

two o'clock the elk lay down on the rock and began 
chewing his end. In the morning at daylight he 
arose, stretched himself, and walked aronnd the 
rock. We cooked onr breakfast, and all hands pre- 
pared for the contest. At eight o'clock we began to 
manoeuver. We tried at first to throw the rope over 
his head, bnt he jumped from the rock, and broke 
away. We then let all onr dogs after him, and fired 
our guns to, encourage them. He ran about half a 
mile, but the dogs pursued him so closely, and closed 
in with him so often, that he wheeled about and 
returned to the rock. We then concluded to divert 
his attention to the lower side of the rock by keep- 
ing the dogs there and throwing sticks and stones, 
while father slipped unobserved to the upper side, 
and with a pole about twenty feet long, threw the 
noose over his horns. All hands then went on the 
upper side of the hill, and fastened the rope around 
a tree, and made an ineffectual attempt to draw him 
from the rock. We next set the dogs on him behind, 
which drove him to the edge, when we gave a sudden 
pull and brought him off the rock, which was there 
about four feet high. He then plunged around, and 
became so much entangled that he had only ten feet 
of play. We then placed another long rope upon 
the other horn and carried it down the hill its whole 
length, tied it, and then loosed the first one. Two 
of the party then drove him down the hill as far as 
the rope would allow him. We continued in this 
manner to fasten the ropes alternately until we had 
worked him from tree to tree down the hill. We 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 31 

found this a slow and difficult manner of proceeding, 
as he was constantly becoming enangled, by his 
struggles, among the trees and underbrush. So we 
unloosed both ropes, and placed two men to each 
rope, and let one dog keep him going. When he 
went too fast, we could check him by snubbing the 
rope around a tree. He started and walked very 
gently till he reached the creek, which was covered 
with ice. This was about three-fourths of a mile 
from the rock where he was captured. We fastened 
one rope across the creek, which was about three 
rods wide, keeping the other in our hands, and drove 
him upon the ice, when he slipped and made several 
ineffectual attempts to regain his feet. We all went 
to the other side of the creek and dragged him 
across. As soon as he gained a footing he sprang up 
and walked up the hill toward us. We then fastened 
the ropes in opposite directions to give him no play, 
and as it was now four o'clock in the afternoon, we 
determined to let him remain here until we could 
bring a horse from Morrison's, to take him home. 
We accordingly cut and placed before him some elk- 
wood browse, which he ate, and my brother and 
Maddock went for the horse, leaving my father and 
myself to watch our prize. They returned at eight 
o'clock the next morning. We had cut a road 
through the underbrush about one mile to Big 
Pine Creek. We now secured him close up to a 
tree, and placed a large rope about forty feet long, 
over his horns, down near to his head, and then tied 
a smaller rope to the upper part of each horn. Wo 



32 

then attached the horse to the large rope, a man took 
each a small rope behind; and one of the hands 
started the horse. When the elk first started, he 
plunged about considerably, and became entangled 
in the rope ; but one of the hands drove him back, 
and we took a fresh start. At the end of three 
hours we reached Big Pine Creek, one mile from the 
place of starting. Here we met with no further ob- 
struction, as the ice was slightly covered with snow 
and had thawed a little, so that the elk found a good 
footing. We threfore proceeded without difficulty 
the next five miles, when we arrived at Morrison's, 
and placed our captive in a stable. Before we had 
taken the elk farther a heavy rain came on and 
broke up the ice in the river. Our horse ran off and 
was drowned, and we took our elk home, eight miles 
down the river, on a float. We wrote to Stevenson, 
informing him that we had captured the elk, and 
asking him if he was willing to give up the bet with- 
out having it conveyed to his house. He replied that 
he had learned of the capture, and that he cheerfully 
gave up the stakes without farther trouble. 

This was the first grown elk that was caught alive 
on the waters of the Susquehannah. It was sixteen 
hands high ; its horns were live and a half feet long, 
with eleven branches. 



CHAPTER IT. 



FACE OF THE COUNTRY 



The first bottom above the first fork of Pine Creek 
is one and a half miles long, and is called the Fork 
bottom. On the east side of the creek, there is a 
mountain about a mile and a half high, presenting a 
perpendicular, rocky side along the river, from 
twenty to thirty feet high. On the west side of the 
creek is a bottom a mile long, called the Pine bottom. 
At the head of the Pine Bottom is a steep mountain. 
On the west side also was a creek about five miles 
long. Up this little creek was a favorite resort for 
game, such as bears, panthers, and deer. The first 
three miles from the mouth of the creek, the country 
is very rough, making a fit place for the abode of 
bears and panthers. This creek heads in a yellow 
pine plain, where there are large quantities of iron 
ore, and some suppose that stone coal is deposited 
there. A furnace to work the ore was built in 1812. 
The ore proved good, but the furnace went down in 
two years, in consequence of boing too far from a 
farming country. Crossing over, you arrived at a 
small bottom, called Hamilton's. Proceeding on 
you arrived at Black Walnut Bottom. We then 



- 

. ■ ■.-. 

. ■ 



THttXT TKA&fl A. Hl'WIX*. 

W Run, across 

".be east §io 

reek, three mile* from its mouth. Th« coun- 
try h rock;/ an generally trareled op 

k, this being a g 
place for them ri fifteen or siz: 

.cs furthe .me to the head waters of Tioga 

ilk would much farther ea- 

consequence of the.- - a settlement at a 

Mt of the 
back by Trout and Mill Bum, 
bur. itl/, from the head water-. 

BoumI I-Jands there were t:. 
licks. The elk in the winter season used to stay 
•f the head water-, of the areains, where feed was 
abundant. About April they would go to the small- 
I here the feed wa- earlier, and stay there 
until about the first of May. They would frequently 
v .o Big Creek, where the mountains were high, 
and remain for some time. They would stay among 
the mountains during the season of breeding, until 
their young had obtained considerable size — say 
from the first of May until the end of June. 

At this time large quantities of moss was to be 
found in the bottom of the river in the ehoal places 
when the elk would come to the river in great droves 
to eat it; generally in the evening. Sometimes they 
would come in the day time, in droves of from thirty 
to forty, and could be seen by the hunters, feeding 
on moss. They would generally stay around the 
river until the middle of August, and if they went 



3G * pioneer life; or, 

away, they would return in three or four days. Then 
they would go to the highlands, in the beech and 
maple woods, where the feed was more tender and 
budding. They would keep near the salt licks in 
large droves : sometimes as many as forty could be 
seen together near a lick. I have endeavored to 
show how far the elk went east from Pine Creek. 
We will commence at Trout Kun, and endeavor to 
describe the face of the country on the west side. 
The first Bottom above Trout Run on the west side 
is called Trout Run Bottom. The next is a mile 
and a half in length, called Sugar Bottom. Pro- 
ceeding on, we arrive at Ned Huff's Bottom, at the 
head of which comes in a large creek, twelve miles 
long, called Ned Huff's Run. At the foot of Ned 
Huffs Bottom was a favorite crossing for bears'. I 
have described the number of crossing places which 
were necessary in consequence of the hills putting 
in on both sides. In traveling up or down the 
stream on foot or horseback, we had to cross from 
bottom to bottom, and keep up the beach of the 
river, there being no road, the mountains put in so 
steep. In summer, when the water was very low, 
we could sometimes pass two or three of these bluff 
points by picking our way in the shallow water and 
on the stones. When the water was unusually high 
there was great danger from rattlesnakes which lay 
among the rocks. Each family possessed a canoe, 
and when the water was not too low we traveled in 
them up and down the river. During the winter 
when the streams were frozen, we traveled in sleighs 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 37 

The following are some of the principal runways for 
bears and elk. From Ned Huff's Creek to the head 
of Long Bottom was a great runway for bears. From 
the head of Long Bottom to Cedar Run, which came 
in on the west side of Pine Creek, was three quar- 
ters of a mile. At its mouth were perpendicular 
rocks, from fifty to two hundred feet high, hanging 
directly over the creek. Ihe nooks between the 
rocks were not more than four or five rods wide. 
On the lower side of the creek were rocks from 
thirty to forty feet high. Cedar Creek was thirteen 
or fourteen miles long. About seven miles up the 
creek was a fork called the West Branch, which, 
headed toward Kettle Creek. Another branch 
called Tawnerstock Branch, headed a northeast 
course against Round Island. The elk would fre- 
quently go from the west side of Pine Creek to the 
Round Islands to drink and eat moss. "When at 
the Creek they were on the the trail that came from 
the Tioga River. They would leave Pine Creek and 
and travel west to the Tawnerstock Branch, then to 
the head waters of Kettle Creek, and thence to Sine- 
m-ahoning, the greatest elk county known. The 
train continues from Sinemahoning on to the head 
waters of the Allegany River. The first of the head 
waters of the Allegany on the elk trail was called 
Potato Creek. The trail went still west to Stump 
Creek. On the head waters of Stump Creek were 
large numbers of elk, bears and deer. Stump Creek 
runs into the Allegany River eighty miles above 
Pittsburgh. Then the elk country and trail continues 



38 I'lONEEE LIFE ; OR. 






on the bead waters of the Kenzua Creek. From 
Kenzua Creek the trail continues south to the head 
waters of Tionesta. I could not trace the elk trail 
any further south from Tionesta than sixteen miles, 
"but bears and deer still went south. We then went 
north to the head waters of Kenzua, where the trail 
of elk continued west to the head waters of Tune- 
angwant. This river, as nearly as I can recollect, is 
eighteen or twenty miles long. It runs into the 
Allegany river twelve miles below Olean. One 
mile a' ove the month of Tuneangwant was still an 
elk trail that went to Big Yalley Creek in Cattarau- 
gus cqrihty, Kew York. From the head waters of 
Big Yalley to Cattaraugus Creek was from four to 
six miles. Cattaraugus Creek empties into Lake 
Erie twenty-eight miles southwest of Buffalo. This 
is as far west as I know elk to range. I came down 
tte Allegany Kiver in the year J 815, and remained 
over night at an Indian house below Olean, near 
where this runway crossed the Allegany. I asked 
an Indian if he knew where there were any elk. Be 
replied that they were very plenty on the west side 
of the river, and some few on the head waters of the 
Cattaraugus. I told him that I wished to catch a 
live elk that winter, and that I had caught three, 
each sixteen hands high. He told me that he did 
not believe this, as they were so large and powerful 
with such formidable horns that no white man or 
Indian dare encounter them. 

We will now go back to the year 1799, when I was 
seventeen years of age, and explain howl became 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 39 

acquainted with all these runways, the art of elk- 
hunting, and the general appearance of the country. 
In the above year a company of men were sent out 
by "William Ellis, Samuel Wallace, and Henry 
Drinker, of Philadelphia, to survey the land. They 
came up Pine Creek with a keel boat loaded with 
flour, pork, sugar, chocolate, tea, and all kinds of 
clothiug for the men. When they arrived at my 
father's one of the hands was sick, and wished to go 
home, saying that he conld not endure the lardshrps 
of the woods. The chief of the surveying company 
whose name was Harris, asked my father if he could 
6upply him with a hand. My father said he would 
like to but he could not spare his two oldest sons ; 
however, he had a son of seventeen who could be 
6pared if he would answer the purpose. Mr. Harris 
asked me if I would go. I replied that I should be 
glad to, as I was anxious to go to the woods. We 
soon arranged our terms, when my father took me 
into the house and gave me some advice in regard 
to my new undertaking. He told me that if I should 
become separated from my companions to be careful 
and not get lost; however, if this should happen I 
Bhould not go down stream, as the streams ran into 
the river forty or fifty miles apart, and I should be 
compelled to follow down until I reached the river. 
He a>so directed me to take particular notice when I 
saw an elk lick, or a place where elk were plenty, 
as any information on this point would be of service 
whenever we should wish to hunt. I was very much 
pleased with this last remark, as I was very fond ot 



40 pioneer lite; oe, 

hunting. We started the next morning, and went up 
the river about twenty-one miles. We there unload- 
ed the boats, and all hands proceeded to build a large 
house and cover it with bark. In two days we had 
it raised and covered, when we left a man named 
John Church, with two pack-horses, to finish it. We 
divided into three companies, each consisting of two 
men to carry chain, one to blaze, and one surveyor. 
I went with Mr. Harris, as chain bearer. We com- 
menced on the east side of the stream, and surveyed 
back about sixteen miles. The following Sunday we 
laid by fifteen miles east of Pine Creek. Our pack- 
horse man came to us about twelve o'clock on Mon- 
day with a supply of provisions for the following 
week. We surveyed northward for two days, then 
touli a westerly course to Big Pine Creek, at a place 
called Round Islands, having been twelve days 
in the woods. Within this time I found three elk 
licks on our route. This was near the last of May. 
The elk were on the small streams, living on the new 
feed, and going toward Pine Creek to eat the moss. 
I then discovered where the elk crossed from the east 
to the west. I found that on the west side there were 
more indications of their going and returning, than 
on the east side. 

At the Round Islands our pack-horse man again 
brought us a supply of provisions. We then sur- 
veyed westward about fifteen miles. Here we made 
an encampment, and were again met by our pack- 
horse man with supplies. We then surveyed east to 
Pine Creek, near our block-house. We had then been 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 41 

out from our place of rendezvous about a month. 
We were joined at this point by the three other com- 
panies. One of our pack-horse men was anxious to 
change places with some one, as he was not accus- 
tomed to the woods, and did not like to lie out alone 
for fear of wolves and panthers. Mr. Harris asked 
if any of the men in the company of surveyors was 
willing to pack. They all declined, when one named 
John Strawbridge asked me if I was not willing to 
take the post. I consented to try it for two or three 
weeks. On Monday all hands started from the camp 
and two companies went to the west side to survey. 
On Tuesday morning I took two horses loaded with 
provisions and started for the two companies on the 
west side of the river. I had to go about nine miles 
up the creek before I struck off to the west. I was 
to remain by the creek that night, on account of the 
pasturage it afforded the horses. About three o'clock 
in the afternoon I unloaded the horses, turned them 
out to feed, and made a fire. As I was seated by my 
fire, I heard a strange sound proceeding from some- 
thing a short distance up the creek. It' wa6 now the 
last of June, the season for the ^lk to come to the 
creek and eat moss. I looked up and saw as many 
as twenty of them, about fifty rods above me. I \et 
them feed quietly, not caring to disturb them. I ate 
my supper, looked to my horses, which were feeding 
on the blue grass, and then went to the river to look 
again at the elk. The stream was full of them, eating 
the moss and drinking. Twenty-two more had ar- 
rived, making in all forty-three. 



42 pioneer life; ok, 

In the morning after I had eaten my breakfast, I 
loaded my horses and started. When I had pro- 
ceeded about half a mile up the stream, I found the 
pack-horse and elk trail which I was to take. About 
three rods from the creek, nearly the whole herd of 
elk I had seen the previous night were lying in the 
trail. When they saw me approaching they sprang 
up and ran on ahead, keeping the path and tearing 
up the ground as they ran along, for a mile and a 
half, when they turned off to the south and were 
soon out of sight. I went north until I struck the 
district line, which I kept for sixteen miles, when I 
encamped for the night, on the head wateis of Ket- 
tle Creek, finding good pasturage for my horses. 
At night I was surrounded by wolves, which fright- 
ened the horses by their howlings so that they came 
close to the fire. I tied them near the fire, fearing 
they might become so frightened as to break away 
and run home. The next morning, after proceeding 
Fix or seven miles, I arrived about eleven o'clock at 
a corner where I was to meet the two parties of sur- 
veyors. Neither party had arrived, and I saw no 
pasture for the horses. When I had unloaded and 
made a fire I commenced searching for pasturage. 
At length I found, about three quarters of a mile 
from the camp a small brook running through a 
swale, affording tolerable pasture, to which I led the 
horses. About dark one company of the surveyors 
arrived at the camp. The next day about noon, the 
other party came in. and we all remained there the 
following night. One of the chain bearers was 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 43 

unwell, and they wished me carry the chain for him, 
and let him take my place with the pack-horse9. I 
consented to the arrangement, and he returned to 
the blockhouse. In four days we had completed the 
surveying which we had anticipated would occupy a 
week, and accordingly had three days of leisure be- 
fore the next Monday. We were now at the head 
waters of Kettle Creek, Cedar Eun, and Sinemahon- 
ing, which was a good country, with abundance of elk 
and deer, and some bears. We all had fishing lines, 
and we determined to employ the first day of our 
leisure in fishing. My comrade and I descended 
Kettle Creek about seven miles. There I found on 
the east side of the creek in the side of the mountain 
a large elk lick, to which I gave the name of Rock 
Lick. It was very much resorted to by the elk. As 
we were returning we 6aw a trail leading to the 
northeast, which was as fresh and distinct as if cattle 
had been traveling there. We all met at our camp 
and had a mess of trout which would have suited the 
palate of an epicure, had it not lacked the addition 
of a little salt. As I had another day at my com- 
mand I concluded to employ it in exploring the 
country in the vicinity of our camp to see if it was 
frequented by elk. I accordingly started down the 
creek, and in going four miles I discovered a great 
ji umber of elk-paths. After proceeding four miles 
farther down the stream I arrived at a fork which 
had its source near the head waters. of the Allegany 
River. I then returned to the camp, and supped 
again on trout, which some of our men had caught. 



44 pioneer life; or, 

On Monday morning we commenced our final 
week's work of surveying, and completed it i as we 
had anticipated, on Saturday afternoon, at a place 
called Pine Island. We then started in pairs f jr our 
block-house. For a mile along the creek the rocks 
rose perpendicularly to the height of one, two and 
three hundred feet, and we were compelled to go two 
miles to the northward of our direct route. We then 
descended a sort of gully, picking our way along the 
rugged and broken rock, until we arrived within 
thirty feet of the bottom, when a perpendicular preci- 
pice presented itself. We crawled down the face of 
this by the crevices in its surface, until we reached a 
a ledge about fifteen feet from the bottom. On the 
brow of this grew a beech sapling, and near it an 
iron-wood about ten feet high, with limbs nearly to 
the ground. My companion, John Strawbridge pro- 
posed to cut down the iron-wood sapling and trim off 
the limbs, leaving only a hook at the large end which 
we could attach to the beech sapling, to assist us 
down the rocks. We accordingly prepared our hook, 
when we disagreed as to who should first make the 
perilous descent. Strawbridge finally broke a couple 
of sticks and presented them to me, to draw one, and 
whoever had the longest should take the lead. I 
drew the longest cut, and prepared to descend. As 
I was passing down the pole, Strawbridge, who was 
holding the upper end of the pole, so that it should 
not slip off the beech sapling, looked over the brow 
of the ledge and saw a large rattle-snake coiled up 
m the exact spot where I would alight. He instantly 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 45 

called out to me, with an oath, to stop, as a rattle- 
snake lay coiled up beneath me. I was now about 
six feet from the top ; to return was impossible, and 
it was with difficulty that I could maintain my posi- 
tion. I called to Strawbridge to throw the axe at the 
snake, which he did, and fortunately hit it so as to 
disable it. But a new calamity awaited me. A 
swarm of yellow wasps which were disturbed by our 
sudden intrusion upon their premises, came at me, 
striking me in my face and breast. I let go my hold 
and dropped to the ground, striking within three feet 
of the snake. Upon examination I found I was not 
much hurt, and I called to Strawbridge to come 
down. He refused, being afraid of the wasps. I 
looked around and found a long sycamore pole, which 
I cut, and placed against the rocks a short distance 
from where 1 had descended. He came down, and 
we started for the camp, which was about four miles 
distant. When we arrived we found four companies 
of surveyors there. The next Monday morning, 
which was about the 5th or 6th of August, I was 
discharged and returned home. This was the last of 
my surveying, exploring elk countries and searching 
for elk-licks that year. 



CHAPTEE V. 



FACE OF THE COUNTRY. 



In the early settlement of the country, about the 
year 1792, the manner of life of the settlers, and the 
hardships and privations they were called upon to 
endure, rendered them capable iof bearing up under 
fatigue and exposure, which those more tenderly 
reared would be unable to surmount. At that time, 
panthers, wolves, bears, elk, deer, and other wild ani- 
mals filled the forest, and fish in great abundance, 
the streams. A person could go up the stream to 
where a dam had been built, and at any time with a 
hook and line could in an hour catch trout sufficient 
for a lanz;e family a day. Quite late one afternoon as 
I was fishing, I saw a great number of tfout trying 
to jump over the dam. Two thirds of them suc- 
ceeded in going over, but some of them would start 
too far away, and fall upon the dam, where 1 could 
catch them in my hands. While looking at them I 
contrived a plan for catching them, which was to set 
up a board about two feet in width, on the dam, to 
intercept them, and cause them to fall upon the dam. 
I at once set to work, and before leaving the place 
that night I placed boards the entire length of the 
dam. Early the next morning I took a basket and 



THIRTY YEAK8 A HUNTEE. 47 

proceeded to the^dam. My father asked me, as I was 
starting, where I was going. I replied that I was 
going to get some trout. He said that I had not 
time that morning, and that they did not want the 
h'sh. But I told him I would return in a short time ; 
when I arrived at the dam I found as many as half a 
bushel of trout lodged on it. I filled my basket as 
quickly as possible, and hurried home. On my 
arrival there, my father expressing great surprise, 
inquired how I had caught so many. I informed 
him ; and ever after, when the water was at a middle 
stage, we took in this way a great many ; but when 
the water was high they could go over the dam. We 
caught eels in great numbers by lifting up the stones 
under which they were concealed, in the shallow 
part of streams* We speared a great many of them 
by night, in the following manner. Torches were 
made of yellow pitch pine, split fine, about seven 
feet in length, which threw a light so bright that we 
could see the fish on the bottom. We went up the 
stream to fish, as the eels kept on the bars and in the 
shallow water. My two older brothers and myself 
went together ; I would draw the canoe, and they 
take the eels. Sometimes as we were out fishing, 
deer would come to the river to eat moss, within 
sight of us. When we saw them, we would all get 
into the canoe — one held the light, another sat in 
the forward part of the canoe, generally with two 
guns, and the third one sitting in the stern, would 
push the canoe along the stream as carefully as 
possible. Sometimes we could approach so near as 



48 pione:r lifz; or, 

to shoot them as they raised their heads erect to look 
at the light. Sometimes they would stand still long 
enough for the hunter to bring down a second one 
with the other gun. At other times they would start 
away, when we would wave the light, and as they 
ascended the bank they would become - frightened at 
their shadows, thinking it was a wolf or panther 
and run directly to the light, where they remained 
looking at it, till we could get another and perhaps 
two more shots at them. In tnis manner we would 
proceed up the stream from fire to six miles, and in 
that distance we could often kill from two to four 
deer, and if the night was favorable we could catch 
from sixty to a hundred eels, besides a quantity of 
salmon, pike, and rock-fish. We would generally 
fish while passing up the stream, and hunt in pass- 
ing down. 

Fish and venison being so abundant in the vicinity 
where we lived, and very scarce at the mouth of 
Pine Creek, twenty-six miles distant, we used them 
as articles of traffic, and by exchanging them with 
inhabitants there, for wheat, rye, corn, buckwheat, 
salt, -leather, and other necessaries, we obtained a 
supply of those articles. The night before we were 
to start, we would go up the stream from eight to 
twelve miles, andjfire-hunt as we went down, arriving 
at home in the morning, just as the others had the 
load ready to start. "We would then load in our 
fresh ven-ison, and as the river was rapid, we could 
go down in time to dispose of our load and load for 
the return voyage before night. As we had to ascend 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 4i* 

against the rapid current, this was more difficult, 
taking two or two and a half days. Frequently in 
hunting, the bears and wolves would follow us for 
the entrails of the deer. Some times after killing a 
deer, we found it too lean to eat, when we would 
abandon it to the wolves and foxes, which we could 
hear howling and barking in our rear, guided by our 
fires. Occasionally a still more savage panther would 
rush in and drive these from their repast. When a 
deer was suitable for food we dressed it at once, and 
they were thus sure of obtaining the refuse. 

After the first of October, the mode of taking fish 
was to make an oblique wall in the creek, letting it 
extend at the upper end about twenty feet, and come 
together at the lower end so near as only to admit 
the fish basket, which we made of laths and timber. 
It being in the center of the stream, the fish would 
mostly pass down between the walls and enter the 
basket. We generally built the wall where there 
was a slight rapid, leaving a fall of about eighteen 
inches at the basket, into which the fish would pass, 
and could not escape. The first season that my 
father constructed a basket, he took pattern by some 
of his neighbors below us. There came a rise of 
water about the last of October, and we caught but 
few fish that year. The next season he determined 
to put in a basket that would prove effectual whether 
the water was high or low. He commenced building 
in June, intending to be in season. He concluded 
to construct it differently from any he had seen. He 
made one wall shorter and at a sharper angle with 



50 pioneer lite; or, 

the bank than the other, thus bringing his basket 
nearer the shore on which he lived, making it more 
easy of access, and left the lower ends of the walls 
about ten feet apart, enabling him to put in a large 
basket, and fastened the timbers so strongly under 
the wall that the basket stood there seven years. 
When winter came he let down the end of the basket 
and took off the sides, so that the ice could pass over 
it without injury. The next season, when we want- 
ed to use it, we had only to raise the end and sides 
and fasten the corners, and it was ready for use. 
At that time there were no boats or lumber rafts to 
run down, and only one family lived above ns, eight 
miles distant, so we only left an opening in our wall 
for hunters to pass through with their canoes. The 
second night after we had finished it was rainy, and 
upon such nights the eels played backward and for- 
ward over the ripples. In the morning my father 
went down to the basket, and found seven or eight 
large eels, and eight or ten salmon, with a quantity 
of suckers and other small fish. We found our bas- 
ket to be very profitable from that time until the 
last of October. We were so abundantly supplied 
with fish from this source that we used them to feed 
our hogs, and found them very useful for that pur- 
pose, as we were compelled to keep them in our 
enclosure to protect them from the wild animals. 
About the fifth of October, in that season, there 
came a rise of water in Pine Creek. The succeed 
ing night we caught about two barrels of eels and 
three wagon loads of suckers. From this time we 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 51 

continued to take from twenty to thirty or forty eels 
besides a number of other fish nightly, until about 
the tenth of November, when there came another 
rise of water in the creek, and in three hours we 
took two barrels of good salmon and rock-fish, with 
four wagon loads of suckers. At dark the eels began 
to run, when my father, assisted by three of us boys 
and a man, began to carry out the eels, but the other 
fish came in so rapidly as to dam up the water, so 
that the eels would go over the sides of the basket 
and as they were difficult to catch, we threw out 
fish and eels to make room for the eels. Finding 
that we were losing many eels in this way, ray 
brother brought the canoe, and placed it under the 
basket at a place where the water did not come, and 
raked the eels back into it as they came. We made 
an opening in the basket, through which they fell, 
and we found the plan to work admirably. In about 
ten hours the river had risen so high as to overflow 
the basket, which put an end to our operations for 
that night. We had then carried out about twelve 
wagon loads of suckers, three barrels of eels and 
two barrels of salmon and rock fish, besides throw- 
ing a great quantity out of the basket, to keep it 
from overflowing. We then built a good tight 
house of slabs, into which we put our suckers, and 
threw over it a large quantity of pine and hemlock 
boughs, to prevent their freezing. We fed our fat- 
tening hogs for the next three weeks upon fish, when 
we commenced feeding them corn, and at the end of 
the next four weeks the pork was equally as good as 



52 pioneer life; or, 

if fattened wholly on corn. We then kept three 
hogs through the winter on fish. Our supply lasted 
until about the middle of April. At that time, eels 
were worth in that country, from five to seven dollars 
dollars per barrel, according to the demand. Sal- 
mon and other good fish were worth from four to six 
dollars a barrel. We estimated the fish fed to our 
hogs to be worth no mor e than seven or eight dollars 
as corn was very cheap at that time. If we had 
sold our fish at a very low rate, the four barrels of 
salmon, at five dollars a barrel, and five barrels of 
eels at seven dollars a barrel, and the fish we fed to 
hogs at eight dollars (besides, two months of the year 
we caught enough to supply the family all the time,) 
this would show the value of our fish basket for the 
first year. We estimated that the fish caught in it 
was worth to us, at the lowest rate, from sixty to 
seventy-five dollars, besides the supply for the family. 
The trout caught that season, which wo kept for the 
family use, would have been worth twenty dollars 
more. 

During the first few years of our residence here, 
we would often look up the creek in the morning, 
and see a deer, coming at the top of its speed, fol- 
lowed by three or four wolves — sometimes two on 
each side of the creek. We would immediately 
prepare and go out to meet them. Sometimes we 
captured the deer with very little trouble, but often 
the wolves would catch and spoil it before we came 
up. In this manner the wolves ran the deer from 
the first of July until the last of January. During 



THIRTY YEAES A HUNTER. 53 

the winter, when the river was covered with ice, the 
deer would fall into the air holes and become an easy 
prey. "We took ofT the skin and if the deer did not 
prove to be very good, we would leave half of it to 
the wolves, but if it was good, we left the refuse parts 
to encourage them in pursuing the deer. Often 
while we were dressing deer the wolves would stand 
within twenty rods, howling most discordantly. We 
finally obtained a gun and dogs, and turned our 
attention to hunting. "We commenced about the 
first of July, and continued until November. The 
wolves and dogs hunting together, sometimes one 
and sometimes the other obtaining the deer, and 
if it fell into our hands we always left the wolves 
their portion to keep them near, for we considered 
them of great assistance to us in hunting. • As there 
was no bounty on wolves at that time, and we had 
no sheep for them to kill, we never destroyed them. 
They often aided us to three or four deer in a week. 
When we were fire-hunting, and had killed a deer, 
we often stopped to dress it, and left the wolves 
their portion, and if we had not the fortune to catch 
one, we would catch fish and leave them, to keep 
them in our vicinity. The howling of the wolves 
upon our track was generally mingled with the 
scream of wildcats, and often they would fight over 
the food we left them. Frequently when our dogs 
were chasing a deer the wolves would take it from 
them, and the dogs would sometimes take one from 
the wolves in the same manner. The wolves and 
the dogs would often be in pursuit of the same deer, 

5* 



54 pioneer life; ok, 

bnt when we were n ar enough, we could generally 
take it from them. 

In the months of June and July we could often 
see from two to five hundred fish sunning themselves 
in the shoal water. The wildcats would stand watch- 
ing them, and when they approached near enough to 
the shore, they would seize and bring out as many 
as three fish each, before they could escape. The 
black fox would sometimes dive in water two feet 
deep, and bring out fish. The red and silver tail 
foxes did not dive, but watched along the shore and 
took the fish in the same manner as the wildcats. 
We never killed them when we saw them fishing, 
as their skins were not as valuable then as in the fall 
and winter, but we would often shout and alarm them, 
to see them run. At the proper season, whe • their 
•kins were good, we used to trap them. * We began 
o trap for foxes about the beginning of November, 
waiting with fish, which we found to be the best bait. 
We would roast an eel and trail it throug the snow 
for some distance to the trap, and they would follow 
the scent. We found this to be the most successful 
manner of securing them. 



CHAPTER VI. 

DAGGER FROM RATTLESNAKES. 

The first season of our residence there the snakes 
were so numerous that we used to clear the yard and 
build fires around the house to keep them away. We 
were careful to have the house made very tight to 
prevent their entrance, and we closed the door early 
in the evening in summer, and did not open it until 
day-light in the morning for fear of them, they were 
so numerous. Before we commenced making fires 
around the house in the morning, we frequently found 
the snakes lying in the yard near the house. One 
morning quite early, as my father was leaving the 
house, he heard a hiss like a goose nearly over his 
head. He paid no attention to it, however, and on 
his return he cast his eyes up over the the door, and 
discovered a large rattlesnake lying directly over 
his head, hissing and darting its tongue toward him. 
He killed the snake and went into the house much 
alarmed, saying that he should leave that place, as he 
feared we would all be bitten by the rattlesnakes. 
About three days afterward, the hired man went on 
the roof of the house to repair it, he found a large 
rattlesnake in quiet possession, seeing which he was 
terribly alarmed, and jumped to the gTound. I then 



56 PJONKEB life; ok, 

went to the roof and destroyed the snake. On leav- 
ing the house we always pnt on a pair of woolen 
socks and leggins over our shoes to protect our legs 
from the snakes ; this was a necessary precaution for 
many years. Burning the woods proved of some 
beneiit to us, as the snakes would not come near 
a place where a lire had been, for some time, x\bout 
the first of August they came in pairs, and should 
one be killed, the other would be found at the end of 
even three or four days near the dead one. Some- 
times toward the end of August, thirty or forty could 
be seen at one time lying on and among the rocks. 
My brother and myself were hunting and fishing one 
afternoon, and as we were pushing up the river in 
our canoe we passed a rattle-snake's den, near which 
we counted forty rattle-snakes, some coiled up, and 
others stretched out, sunning themselves. We went 
ashore and provided ourselves each with a stick made 
similar to a flail, so that we could kill them with a 
single blow. One then went below them and the 
other above, and we killed all we could until we met. 
We succeeded in killing thirty of the forty snakes 
which we first counted, hi killing so many snakes, 
we inhaled so much of the poisonous effluvia as to 
make us sick. We returned home immediately and 
took freely of sweet milk and hog's lard, to prevent 
any more serious effects. Frequently when hunting 
we saw eight or ten snakes, but we would only kill 
four or five of them nearest us, or that were ugly. 
We never found then; numerous at a greater dis- 
tance than three miles from the river, and there they 



TUIRTr YEARS A HUNTER 57 

were near a brook or small stream, The country 
from near the mouth of Pine Creek extending several 
miles up to a place called the Big Elk Lick, was a 
great resort for them. Within this distance there 
were six rattlesnake dens. The first den was on the 
east side of the creek, near Clark's Bottom. Up the 
creek, about nine miles above Clark's Bottom, was 
another. About two miles farther, at Black Walnut 
Bottom, was a small island of about two acres, where 
we always found great numbers of them. Still far- 
ther up the creek, about nine miles from the last 
place, lying in the river, about twelve feet from the 
nearest shore was a rock about forty feet long by 
fifteen wide, called Kattle-snake Rock. Oil this the 
snakes would often lie in piles. On the opposite side 
of the river was another seventy feet long and twenty 
wide, on which could often be seen forty snakes at a 
time. 

In the year 1794, James King and a Mr. Manning 
went on an. exploring expedition up Pine Creek, to 
ascertain if any elk were to be found, and also if 
any Indians were in the neighborhood. They went 
up the stream above Big Meadows. When about 
twenty miles up the creek, they found the rattle- 
snakes so numerous that they were compelled to 
anchor their canoe in the middle of the stream to 
avoid them. The first night they built a fire on shore, 
and before morning three snakes made their appear- 
ance. They then concluded it would be more safe in 
the canoe. About the third day they arrived at the 
larger rock on the west side of the river? and found 



53 PIONEER LIFE ; OR, 

as many as thirty rattle-snakes lying on the rock, 
sunning themselves. They pushed their canoe to the 
other shore, and when passing the smaller rock, they 
discovered on the top a pile of rattle-snakes as large 
as an out-door bake-oven. They lay with their heads 
sticking up in every direction, hissing at them. Pro- 
ceeding up the river a short distance, they could see, 
as they approached the shore, snakes lying where 
they intended to land. They therefore continued on 
a mile and a half to a thicket of hemlock, which they 
knew the snakes would not approach, and accord- 
ingly went ashore and prepared dinner. About one 
mile and a half farther they arrived at the second 
fork of Pine Creek. Here they saw about forty elk 
drinking in the creek, and as far as they could see 
they discovered elk in the stream. They estimated 
that there were nearly two hundred elk at the creek. 
The next day they pushed up the creek about eleven 
miles, when they came to the Round Islands, on the 
shore opposite which was a den of rattlesnakes, 
about a quarter of a mile back from the creek, in a 
rocky place. It being in the month of August, when 
the snakes always come to the water, they saw in a 
space of twenty rods as many as sixteen rattle-snakes, 
all about a rod from the water. Not wishing to land 
in such company, they proceeded up the creek half a 
mile to a hemlock thicket, where they landed and 
prepared supper. They then dropped out into the 
stream, and anchored for the night. But they found 
troublesome neighbors on the water, as well as on 
'and. The gnats were so numerous and annoying 






THIRTY VEAIiS A HTJNTEH. 59 

that it was impossible to sleep* They accordingly 
laid pieces of bark across the canoe, covered them 
with clay, and built upon it a fire of rotten wood. 
This raised a smoke which protected them effectually. 
The next day, about eight miles further up the creek, 
they arrived at the third fork of Pine Creek. On 
the west side, opposite the fork, they discovered a 
large tract of cleared land, consisting of as many as 
a hundred and sixty acres, to which they gave the 
name of the Big Meadows. They were the first 
white men ever there. It had been cleared by the 
Six Nations, and they thought had probably been 
vacated for twenty or thirty years, "but they could 
still discern marks of corn-hills. A few hickory 
trees grew next the river and along the foot of the 
hill, but besides these not a tree nor shrub was visi- 
ble, and it was covered with blue grass. On the 
opposite side of the creek, near the fork, they found 
a plum orchard of twenty acres, abounding with 
fruit. Between the plum orchard and the creek 
was a tract of cleared land of about thirty acres, 
which appeared to have once been a corn-field. In 
this vicinity they found a great many elk and bears. 
As it was not the season for the latter, and their fur 
and skins were of no value, they did not molest 
them They then ascended the fork seven miles, 
when they arrived at a place which they called Bi^ 
Marsh. Here the country was more level, and less 
rocky than it was down Pine Creek. From here 
they returned to the Meadows, where they left their 
canoe, and proceeded on foot twelve miles up the 



60 PIONEER LIFE ; OR, 

creek, where they found a very large elk lick, and 
saw about sixty elk at the creek, at one time. They 
killed one elk, and the others became frightened at 
the report of the gun, and fled. When they had 
killed and dressed the elk, one of them preceeded 
about a mile further, and found an Indian camp, 
that appeared to have been occupied by as many as 
eight or ten persons, but a few days previous. On 
his return to his companion, he informed him of 
the discovery he had made, and they concluded to 
return. They started accordingly, going down the 
creek five miles to a small stream which they 
ascended two miles, and encamped for the night. 
The next morning they went to their canoe by a dif- 
ferent course, and descended the creek to the second 
fork. After exploring, for two days, the country 
lying on the second fork, they proceeded down the 
creek twelve miles to a place called Hamilton's Bot- 
tom, and the following day arrived at the town of 
Jersey Shore, which terminated their expedition. 
They were hired by a company in Philadelphia to 
explore the country for the purpose of locating land- 
warrants, and were the first white men that ever 
penetrated the wilderness lying on Pine Creek and 
its tributaries. The information which they obtained 
was of great importance to us when we first settled 
in this country, as it enabled us to find where and 
how the elk lived, where the dens of rattle-snakes 
were, and how to avoid them. "When hunting the 
elk we frequently went to the dens of rattle-snakes 
to see how many were visible at once. We used to 



TIIliiTY YEAIIS A HUNTER. 61 

burn the woods in May to destroy the snakes ; and 
another mode was to make a large pile where they 
were the most numerous, and toward evening set 
fire to it, when the snakes would run into the fire, 
and vent their impotent rage upon it, until they were 
burnt to death. I hunted five years in this part of 
the conutry, and in all that time I noticed that the 
rattle-snakes were never seen farther than six miles 
from Pine Creek, and on the smaller streams they 
were never seen more than two miles from the 
waters. They were never found near the source of 
the small streams. I have taken particular notice of 
the habits of the snakes, while hunting on various 
streams. 

In the year 1816, I resided near Cornplanter's 
Town, on the Allegany River. I made inquiries 
of Cornplanter, then the head chief of the Six Na- 
tions, concerning the rattle-snake, and he told me 
that thirty years previous they had found the snakes 
as numerous from the place called Red Bank to the 
State line, as they used to be at Pine Creek. He 
said all the traveling in summer had to be done in 
canoes, on account of them. The way they destroyed 
them was to burn the woods in the same manner that 
we did. I asked him if any of the people were ever 
bitten. He replied that the men were seldom bitten 
as they wore woolen socks and leggins, but several 
of the women and children had been bitten, and it 
proved fatal in some cases before remedies could be 
procured. When they were obliged to lie out at 
night in a place which was infested by snakes, they 

6 



62 pioneer life; ok, 

drove four crotches into the ground, upon which 
they placed poles, and across these they laid pieces 
of bark. In this manner they avoided sleeping on 
the ground. In summer they always kept a fire 
around the place where they slept, to protect them- 
selves while asleep. I asked Cornplanter where 
lie thought the bears, elk, deer and panthers were 
the most plenty thirty years previous. He answered 
that in the year 1786 he found the deer more plenty 
from the State line to Red Bank, and about twelve 
miles back from the river, than they were on Pine 
Creek. But he thought bears were not as plenty, 
and that panthers were quite numerous on Kenzua 
Creek and the Tionesta and the country between the 
head waters of those streams and the Susquehannah 
river. Elk, he said were not as plenty on the Alle. 
gany as they were on Pine Creek ; and beaver, otter, 
and other animals valuable for their fur, he had 
found more abundant on the Susquehannah than on 
the Allegany. Bears were found in great numbers 
from the mouth of Conewango Creek to Chau- 
tauque Lake. They had a crossing place where they 
passed from the head waters of the Tionesta to the 
lake. He said his two sons, Henry and John 
O'Bayle, killed in one summer, fifteen bears on the 
banks of Chautauque Lake. 

Soon after our conversation I again saw Corn- 
planter and he told me that he had learned, by a 
letter from the Presbyterian Society of Pittsburgh, 
that they intended to send a preacher to establish a 
school at Cornplanter's Town, and he asked me to 



THIRTY YEAES A HUNTER. G3 

send my children, as there was no school or place 
of instruction near us. I told him that when they 
sent the minister and teacher, I would give him an 
answer. In about two weeks the teacher arrived. 
He was from Virginia, and his name was Samuel 
Oldham, lie was accompanied by his wife. They 
were both pious people and members of the Presby- 
terian Church. A man by tlie name of George 
Ililderbrand came with them as interpreter. lie 
had lived for several years among the Indians on 
the Allegany, and understood the language. After 
the teacher had been here about two days, a man by 
the name of Walter Seaman and myself went to see 
him and Cornplanter about sending our children to 
their school. Cornplanter said he did not know as 
they would be willing to teach our children without 
pn} r , but he would be willing on his part as he 
thought it would be an assistance in teaching their 
children to speak the English language. He said 
that the minister was expected to arrive the next 
Saturday evening, and preach to them on the next 
Sabbath, and they could then asceitain whether we 
would be permitted to send our children to their 
school. I asked of Cornplanter the reason why the 
Quakers left them about four years previous. He 
said the Quakers did not keep the Sabbath, and he 
thought that was very wrong; and they taught the 
children that he was no wiser or better than any 
other man, and ought not to be considered so. This 
ciFpleaped him very much, as he wished to be con 
pidor^d the wisest and be?t of his tribe, and he told 



64 PIONEEE, LIFE* OR, 

the Quakers that they might go, as the tribe did not 
wish to have them on their ground, or to have their 
children taught in that manner. About four years 
before this the oldest Indians removed into Catta- 
raugus County, New York. I asked him if he did 
not regret to have them all leave him. He replied 
that he was not sorry to have them go, as they were 
better situated on their own land, and the young men 
who were left would soon be gnywn up to take the 
places of those who had gone. He also said that 
they were not willing to be ruled by him, and he 
wa3 quite willing that they should leave. lie asked 
me what I thought of the Quakers. I said that I 
liked them very much, as they were a very sober 
people, and did not drink or swear. He did not 
coincide with me in my favorable opinion of them. 
In the year 1817, as Corn planter with his son and 
myself were going down the river in a canoe from 
the state of New York, where we had been at work, 
I inquired of his son, Henry O'Bayle. if his father 
would be willing to talk about the wars and battles 
in which he had been engaged. On being ques- 
tioned, he replied that it was a subject upon which 
he was fond of conversing. I asked him what was 
the first battle he was ever engaged in. He replied 
that it waa at Braddock'e defeat He was then sev- 
enteen years of age, and engaged with the French 
and Indians against the British. He said that there 
were about six thousand Indians, and some few 
French. He supposed there were about double the 
number of Indians that there were of white men 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER 65 

He returned, after the battle, to his own place of 
residence. There was a smaller number of Corn- 
planter's own tribe, than of any other tribe then 
present. Thej had intended, in case they were vic- 
torious, to continue their march to Philadelphia, 
driving the whites before them, and compel them to 
quit the country. But when the battle was over and 
the plunder was divided, they became insubordinate 
and could no longer be kept in order. The original 
plan was therefore abandoned. On his return, 
Corn planter informed his tribe of the dissensions in 
their army and said, that in their then divided state 
it was useless to contend longer against the British, 
and they had better make peace with them as soon 
as possible. His advice, however, was not followed* 
I asked him if he was ever on the Susquehannah. 
He laughed and asked if any of my friends h^d 
ever been killed there. I answered in the negative- 
He then asked if the people on the west branch of 
the Susquehannah did not entertain feeling of enmity 
against him. I replied that nothing was cherished 
against him ; that whatever acts of hostility he had 
committed were undoubtedly instigated by the 
British, and upon them, therefore, rested the blame. 
He said this was true ; that the British supplied them 
with ammunition and paid them for scalps. I asked 
him how many men had fallen by his own hand, 
lie said lie had killed seven. I asked him if his 
half brother was not killed there, to which he an- 
swered that he was, in an attack upon a block-house* 
it Munsec hill, and that lie was present bimself J 



66 pioneer life; OB, 

asked him if he remembered whether they intended 
to set fire to the block-house. He made no reply to 
this, but asked if I or any of my friends were there. 
I told him that I was not there, being but a boy at 
that time, nor had I friends there, but that I knew 
the man who shot his brother ; his name was Arm- 
strong. I also knew another man, by the name of 
Oarr, who was in the block-house, and who now lived 
within ninety miles of Cornplanter. Armstrong, 
Oarr and two others, were the only ones in the block- 
house at the time of the attack. 



CHAPTER. VIL 



WOLF AND BEAR HUNTING. 



The following is the manner in which wolves were 
hunted during the early years of our residence in 
the country. Early in May they were found near 
the heads of streams, either among the rocks or in 
hollow logs. When they were near, the hunter gen- 
erally found paths which were formed by the old 
she-wolf in passing to and from her den. If none 
were visible, he imitated the howl of a wolf, to 
which the old one, if within hearing, would reply, 
and thus betray her retreat. If not successful in one 
place, he continued his search from the head of one 
stream to another. Some times they were found a 
mile or two -from the head of a stream, if there was 
any convenient place for them to den. Occasion- 
ally the hunter could kill a deer, when he hung up 
different parts of it where it would be found by the 
wolves, and if upon his return, they had been taken. 
he felt sure there were wolves in the vicinity. He 
would then imitate the howl of a wolf, which would 
be answered if any wolves were within hearing. If 
the young ones were found in the absence of the 
dam, great care was used to leave no indications of 
any one having been at the den. If the hunter had 



68 pioneek life; or, 

no trap, he would climb a tree and wait the approach 
of the old wolf. About the first of December was 
the best time for baiting them with meat, as the old 
ones weaned their young at that season, and the 
latter were scattered over the woods. The wolf 
generally has from five to ten puppies. The meat 
was sometimes roasted and dragged over the trail 
for thirty or forty rods before baiting the trap With 
it. The most favorable time for trapping wolves 
was during rainy weather, as the rain would oblite- 
rate the scent of the trapper. When there was no 
rain, it was customary to carry along a pail of water, 
and sprinkle on the_tracks for the same purpose. 
When the hunter had his traps set, he would climb 
into a tree and howl like a wolf until they collected 
near, when they would get into the traps, or he could 
shoot them from his retreat. The month of Febru- 
ary was another favorable time for taking them, as it 
le season for them to mate, when they collect in 
great numbers. They can be easily taken in traps 
at this season, as they are very ravenous, and will 
run any hazard for the sake of the meat with which 
the trap was baited. Another successful manner of 
taking them was in what was called wolf-houses, 
which were constructed in the folowing manner A 
favorable place was found on the steep side of a hill, 
in a place frequented by wolves in passing from 
one stream to another. In the side of the hill a 
hole was dug so deep that the upper side would be 
on a level with the roof of the house. In this hole 
the house, about ten leet square, was built and the 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 69 

same hi height, of beech and maple logs. The top 
covered with heavy logs, leaving a hole five feet one 
way by two and a half the other. Into this a trap 
door is fitted, with a spring underneath. The bait 
is placed in such a position that the wolf, to reach it, 
must step upon the trap-door, when it drops down 
and precipitates the animal to the bottom, when it 
springs back to its place. If a female is the first to 
fall into the trap, the others will keep running about 
over the trap door, and one after another will fall in, 
until the greater part of the whole pack is caught. 
The house is built several months before the season 
for its use, to accustom them to it. 

About the first of September the wolves com- 
menced running deer into the river. This is another 
favorable season for hunting them. When we saw a 
deer running and no dog in sight, we were sure it 
was pursued by wolves. If we wished to save the 
deer for our own use, we shot it before it was over- 
taken by the wolves. We then let the deer lie some 
time, and if the wolves were not too much fright- 
ened by the report of the gun, they would come up 
to the deer, when we could perhaps kill two or three 
of them. This is always done early in the morn- 
ing, and the wolves lie still the rest of the day. 
When I was a young raan, steel traps were scarce 
and dear, and we were compelled to invent substi- 
tutes which would be unnecessary at the present day. 

Bears were hunted and caught by us in the follow- 
ing manner. About the first of May they could be 
found at the streams, turning over the stones along 



70 pioneer life; ok, 

the shore in search of fish with which to feed their 
cubs. The hunter had to exercise great care to keep 
where the wind would not blow from him to the bear, 
as the latter would detect the slightest taint of his 
presence. After killing the old one he could some 
times take the cubs, but if they ran he concealed 
himself and they would return in a short time. If 
he failed to approach near enough to kill the bear, 
he let his dogs after her, and she would soon climb 
a tree, followed by her cubs, when he shot the old 
one from the tree, and then withdrew with his dogs 
until the cubs descended and gathered aronnd their 
dam. If he found it difficult to take them, he could 
set traps or snares for them, as they will linger near 
their dam for two or three days. 

Another manner of taking bears was in houses, 
similar to those used for wolves. They were made 
larger, being generally ten by fourteen, and built 
upon a floor of large logs, unless a large flat rock 
could be found in a convenient place to build upon. 
The top was covered with logs or rocks, so heavy 
that the bears could not raise them. The door was 
in the side, and hung at the top. When ready for 
use, the door was swung up and the bait connected 
with it by a rope, in such a manner that the bear 
when it pulled upon the bait, would loose the fasten- 
ing, and cause the door to fall down to its place, and 
fasten the bear into the house. In this manner we 
some times caught the old bear and cubs at once. 
When they were secured in this manner, we could 
convey them home alive in the following manner. 



TIIIRTr YEARS A HUNTER. 71 

The eyes were covered, and the mouth muzzled. 
A rope was attached to each foot, and one around the 
neck ; to the neck was also fastened a pole twenty 
feet long, and another rope forty feet long, to which a 
horse was attached. A man then went ahead holding 
the pole and two behind, holding the ropes, to pre- 
vent the bear from going too rapidly. When the 
weather was warm and the bear fat we had to go 
very slowly. To tame them we used to attach a 
horse to them and lead them around. If they were 
stubborn and not easily tamed, we shut them up and 
fattened them for their oil, which was valuable. 

About the last of July and first of August, when 
berries were ripe, was a good season for taking bears, 
either in bear-houses or by shooting them. They 
were most plenty where there were whortleberries ; 
if they could find no whortleberries, they would 
eat blackberries, and if there were neither, they could 
be found where there were wild cherries. If not 
successful in taking them by means of bear-houses, 
the hunter pursued them with dogs. When he came 
within sight of one he let the dogs loose, when the 
bear would climb a tree, before running a great dis- 
tance. If the tree was so high that the bear could 
not be reached without much difficulty, the hunter 
retired a short distance and waited until it came 
down, when he would drive it up another. If he 
was prepared with ropes, he could capture it alive. 
My first experience in catching bears was in 1805, in 
the following manner. As a large party of young 
men and women were out picking whortleberries we 



72 pioneer life; o::, 

discovered a bear eating berries. Having eight or 
ten good dogs with us, we thought it was a fine 
chance for sport, and accordingly gave chase. In a 
short time he ascended a tree, but it was too high for 
our purpose, and we withdrew until he came down, 
when we forced him up another. We continued in 
this manner driving him from one tree to another, 
until we had him up one about fifteen feet to the 
lower limb. One of the young men proposed to 
take the bear alive, but another said it could not be 
done ; but I concurred in the opinion of the first, and 
we began laying a plan to accomplish it. In the first 
place we peeled bark, with which we made ropes, 
with a noose in the end of each. We then made a 
scaffold by the tree, upon which one of the party 
stood, and with a pole slipped a noose over the neck 
and another over the fore paws of the bear. We 
now had him in our power, and drove him down the 
tree nearly to the ground. We then tied a pole 
across his neck, each end of which was taken by a 
man, and in this manner we drove him a couple of 
miles, when we concluded he had given us sufficient 
amusement, and cutting the ropes set him at liberty. 
Bears from six months to three years old can easily 
be taken in this manner, but old ones are not so 
easily managed. During the months of January and 
February was a favorable time for taking bears by 
tracking them to their dens. When the hunter had 
found the den, he approached it, well prepared with 
dogs and guns, and threw in burning sulpuur, which 
soon started them out. Thev could then be shot as 



THIRTY TEARS A HUNTER. 73 

the j emerged from the hole. It was necessary to be 
well prepared, as the bears are very ferocious at this 
season, and it would be a perilous adventure for one 
to rouse them without plenty of dogs and guns. As 
many as five were sometimes found in one den, but 
there was not generally more than one. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



ANOTHER ELK HUNT. 



In December, 1811, 1 went to Lycoming county, 
for the purpose of catching a live elk. The hunting 
ground was in the vicinity of Pine Creek. I was 
accompanied by my brother Benjamin, then seven- 
teen years of age, and three men whom I had hired 
to assist me. On the 8th we started, each man 
carrying a knapsack with provisions for a week. We 
also took ropes sufficient to hold an elk. We ascend- 
ed Pine Creek about fifteen miles to a place called 
the Lower Round Islands. Here we left the creek 
and climbed a hill, the summit of which was two 
miles from the base. After traveling in a westerly 
direction about two miles we struck the track of 
three elk. We supposed, from their freshness, that 
they were made the evening previous, and by bucks. 
We followed the track about a mile and a half, when 
we came up with them, and they wheeled and gazed 
at us. We had four dogs with us, two of which we 
let loose. The elk started and ran about lour miles 
and then turned and fought the dogs until we came 
up. We then fired to encourage the dogs, when they 
singled out one of them, and attacked him furiously. 
Ife took a westerly course, with both dogs after him, 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 75 

while the two others went to the north. "We pursued 
the one the dogs were after. He ran about eight 
miles, and then turned upon the dogs, which soon 
tired out and came back, meeting us about four miles 
from where they had fought. We continued on, and 
encamped near where the elk had stood at bay. The 
next morning we followed the elk about three-quar- 
ters of a mile, and came to where he had left his 
westerly course and turned to the south. About 
half a mile farther we came to where he had been 
feeding, and had lain during the night, and discov- 
ered him about fifty or sixty rods ahead of U3. We 
let the two fresh dogs go, and they approached within 
a few yards of him before he saw them. lie then 
started, running about six miles, when he turned to 
fight the dogs, tired them out, and they returned to 
us. We continued on, however, to the place where 
the elk had turned upon the dogs. As it was a very 
blustering day, and there was good camping grouud, 
we halted for the night, All of the hu\ed men now 
became discouraged. They said that our dogs were 
worthless for elk-hunting, that they had gone thus lar 
without accomplishing any thing, and would proba- 
bly not if we continued the chase ; and that they 
were tired and wished to return homo. I told them 
that the direction in which the elk was then travel- 
ing led toward home, and it was as well to follow 
the track as to take any other course. Also, that as 
they had engaged for an indefinite period, they 
were under obligations to remain with me, if I desired 
it, until we had caught a live elk. The next morniii" 



76 pioneer life; or, 

they concluded to continue, and we started after 
the elk. We went two miles and found where he 
had been feeding. A short distance farther we saw 
him lying down. All the dogs were then let loose, 
when they pursued the elk very closely, and the 
whole party of us ran about four miles, whooping 
and shouting with all out might, when we met the 
dogs returning. The men were again discouraged, 
and desired to go home. I told them they were now 
going toward home, and they might as well continue. 
Some harsh words followed, when I told them it was 
my business whether they went home or not, and 
that I should not consider myself bound to pay them 
if they did not remain with me until I had secured 
an elk. They then concluded to go on, and we fol- 
lowed the^track about six miles, and arrived at a 
high mouutain, with steep, rocky sides, and within 
two miles of the place from which we started, be- 
tween Cedar Run and Big Pine Creek, at the mouth 
of the former stream. From there the elk took a 
westerly course again. On the side toward Pine 
Creek many of the rocks rose two or three hundred 
feet perpendicular. From appearances, we judged 
that the elk had been on the rocks, awaiting the 
dogs, and this would have been a capital chance to 
secure him, if the dogs had kept up the chase. The 
men, thinking that the elk had departed from the 
homeward course, wanted to leave the track. I had 
'*een there before, and knew where we were, but 
they were totally unacquainted with the place. I 
pointed to the rocks and said, "If you wish to sro 



THIRTY YEARS A IIUKTER. 77 

down the sides of that mountain and take the chance 
of finding your way home, go ; I shall keep on the 
track." But they concluded to follow me, and we 
again started in pursuit of the elk. We went about 
six miles, to the east branch of Cedar Bun, in the 
forks of which we encamped for the night. The 
next morning we proceeded about a mile and a half, 
to the west branch of Cedar Bun, where we discov- 
ered the elk feeding. I told them to keep the dogs 
quiet, and we would drive him up the hili, the sum- 
mit of which was about a mile distant. We followed 
him about half a mile, when I told them to let loose 
all four of the dogs, and to encourage them by firing 
a gun. The elk then ran directly south about five 
miles, and turned to the east. We walked on quite 
briskly. I told them that the elk was going toward 
a famous elk-crossing, about six miles distant, and 
half a mile from our starting-point, called Black 
Walnut Bottom. This seemed greatly to encourage 
them, and they pushed on, anticipating a speedy 
return home. About a mile and a half farther, the 
elk ran toward a rock which rose about two feet 
above the surface of the ground, and was about 
twenty-five by forty feet on the top, but for some 
unaccountable reason, turned away and passed on. 
The nice scent of the dogs, however, enabled them 
to detect the cause at once, and they left the track 
of the elk, and commenced barking furiously arouncl 
a hole in the center of the rock. Two of the rnen, 
Francis and Fleeharty, .were in advance of me, and 
when they arrived at the rock, they sent all the log^ 

•7 



(S pioneer life; or, 

down the hole. In a short time a bear made his 
appearance at the surface. The men drove it back, 
but it still endeavored to force its way out as often 
as they kicked it back. I heard their shouts, and 
ran to them, leaving two others behind with the gun. 
Soon after I arrived the bear retreated to his cave, 
and we listened, expecting to hear a struggle between 
him and the dogs. We were not disappointed, for 
in about ten minutes we heard the barking of the 
dogs, and soon one of them rushed out as fast as 
possible. Very soon another followed, and then the 
two others came bounding out. The bear stuck his 
nose again out of the hole, and I jumped upon his 
head with both feet, knocking him back, and called 
to the men to give me a* club. While speaking I 
observed that Francis had an axe upon his shoulder, 
but was so much excited that he was not aware of it. 
The bear once more made his appearance, and I 
asked Francis to give the axe to me. But he called 
to me to stand out of the way, and giving the bear a 
glancing stroke, the axe slipped from his hands and 
went rattling down the hole We then kicked the 
bear back, and kept him there, until the rest of 
the party came up with the gun. Upon trial I found 
that it was wet, and would not go off. I dried the 
pan and a second time attempted to shoot, but with 
no better success. I then picked out the caked 
powder, put some priming into the pan, and told the 
men to stand back. The bear soon came to the top 
of the hole, but paused upon seeing so many of us 
in the vicinitv. I fired into his mouth, and the 



THIRTT YEARS A HUNTER. 79 

bullet broke his neck bone. He fell back, slid down 
the hole, gave a heavy plunge, and all was silent. 
Our next object was to bring our booty out to the 
surface. None of us wished to enter the den, yet 
we were not willing to leave it there. We finally 
concluded to decide it by drawing cuts, and the 
longest two were drawn by Fleeharty and myself. 
We drew again, to decide which should take the 
lead, and the lot fell upon Fleeharty. A rope was 
placed around his waist, and taking a torch in his 
hand, he started and I followed, leaving orders 
with those above not to raise the rope until I called. 
After descending obliquely about thirty feet, we 
arrived at a precipice of about three feet, at the 
bottom of which lay the bear on its back. The fears 
of Fleeharty magnified into a live bear each foot of 
the dead one, as it lav in the flickering: light of his 
torch, and, thinking he had at least four bears to 
encounter, he screamed, "Pull me np!" I quieted 
him, and taking the torch from his hands, and peer- 
ing down into the hole, I discovered the cause of 
Fleeharty's alarm. I told him what I saw, and 
requested him to proceed, but he could not muster 
courage enough to descend the precipice, and I 
pushed him off, following myself. As he struck the 
bottom, the torch fell from his hands, and he set 
up a scream of, "Murder! Murder!" "Pull me 
up ! " u The bears are after me ! " I picked up the 
torch and showed him that all his panic was caused 
by one dead bear. We then commenced exploring 
the cave, and found it to be quite a curiosity. The 



80 PIONEER LIFE ; OR, 

room was, as I judged about twelve by eighteen feet 
in size, and seven or eight feet high. The ceiling 
was very smooth, with right-angled corners, and on 
two adjacent sides were projections like seats about 
eighteen inches high, and fifteen wide, regulary 
formed, with well-defined angles. They extended 
the entire length of their respective sides, while on 
the opposite sides was no such formation, or traces 
of any. Every thing had an artificial appearance. 
I called to those above to come down, and make 
further researches. In the northwest corner w r as an 
opening five feet high and three wide, which led 
to another regularly formed room, eleven by sixteen 
feet, but without seats or any thing remarkable. In 
the northwest corner of this room was an opening 
three feet by two, which led into a long, narrow 
passage. AYe entered and proceeded about three 
rods, when our light began to burn dimly, and the 
thought occurred to me that there might be half a 
dozen bears or panthers concealed within, and if 
one should meet us in that narrow passage, our 
situation would be neither safe nor pleasant. I told 
the others my fears, and we accordingly returned to 
the large room. As we concluded that w r e could 
.not find more confortable quarters, we made arrange- 
ments to stay there all night. From the moss, leaves 
and branches which we found there, we supposed 
the bear must have made this rock his habitation for 
many winters — perhaps a dozen. We gathered 
some of the larger blanches, and brought some dry 
wood from the outside, with wh'ch we made a large 



THIRTY YEARS A HU.NTEB. 81 

and cheerful fire. In a short time the smoke filled 
the room so densely that we were nearly suffocated, 
before we could gather up our implements and leave 
the place. It was now nearly dark, and a cold 
blustering night. There was no pine or hemlock in 
that region, with which to build a shanty, and we 
stretched blankets across poles and made a tent. 
"We then built a fire, and as the ground was covered 
with snow, we procured bark and brush to lie on. 
When every thing was prepared we ate our supper 
and went to sleep. The next morning after eating 
breakfast, we went to the rock, to take out our bear. 
Two of us entered the cave and tied a rope around 
„he neck of the bear. The three men on the outside 
pulled on the rope, while we pushed, but we coukl 
not raise it over the ledge. We then cut a pole 
about twenty feet long, which we used as a lever, 
and by this means drew him out. We estimated 
that he weighed between four and five hundred. 
We then skinned it, tried out the oil, and cut up the 
meat* One of the party took the skin, and as much 
of the oil as he could carry, and each of the others 
took thirty or forty pounds of meat. The rest we 
hung about twelve feet from the ground, between 
two trees. We were then about three and a half 
miles from home. We started again on the elk- 
track, and kept it about two and a half miles, arriv- 
ing at the top of a high hill, within sight of home. 
.From there the elk turned to the northeast, when I 
told my companions they might go home, but I 
continued on the track for about two miles, when 



82 PIONEER LIFE* OR, 

the elk crossed the creek. I then left the track and 
went home. When I arrived there I found all my 
hands seated around the fire, talking about my elk- 
hunting abilities. All but my brother Benjamin 
said that I could not catch an elk. They said that I 
was not like my father, but more like other men, and 
all of my attempts to catch a live elk would be vain. 
My brother, however, insisted that I could catch one. 
I told them that I was not so discouraged but that I 
should try again. I then sent my brother to a place 
about twenty-five miles distant to procure a man and 
good dogs, and some articles that I wanted, and told 
him to join me with them at a place fifteen miles up 
thj creek. 1 went to another brother who lived 
three miles distant, and told him that I wanted him 
to assist me in hunting, and that I would give him 
the hides of all that we should kill, but if we should 
succeed in taking one alive, I would pay him for his 
time and trouble. He consented to go, and said 
that another man by the name of Blackwell, who 
lived some eight or nine miles above, had a good 
elk dog, and would be glad to occompany me on the 
same terms. We drove up there with a horse and 
cutter, and engaged Blackwell. We started from 
there with a two-horse sleigh and a supply of pro- 
visions, going to what was called the Lower Round 
Islands, where we encamped for the night, and sent 
back our team. The next day we started on a west- 
erly course, and after proceeding about five miles, 
we found some old elk-tracks. They were so full of 
newly-fallen snow that we could scarcely distinguish 



TIIIKrTT YEAKS A BUNTER. S3 

tliem, ana could only determine their direction 
by digging out the snow and examining them. 
After satisfying ourselves on that point, we followed 
the tracks about three miles, when we found a fresh 
track. The elk was going toward the east, and I 
remarked that he would probably cross at the Upper 
Round Islands, if we did not catch him first. After 
following the track about three miles we arrived at 
a small hollow surrounded by rocks, with abundance 
of timber. As' it was nearly night, and the weather 
cold and stormy, we concluded to cut some hemlock 
boughs and make a shanty. The next morning we 
started again on the elk-trail, and after proceeding 
about two miles, we found where he had been feed- 
ing. I went on ahead to reconnoiter, and had gone 
but a short distance when I discovered him resting, 
chewing his cud. When the rest of the party came 
up, I directed them to loose two of the dogs, of which 
we had three very good ones. The elk sprang up 
and started off toward the Lower Round Islands 
with the dogs in full pursuit. When he arrived at 
the bluff overlooking the creek, he halted upon a 
large rock on the brow of a precipice of four hun- 
dred feet. From the lower side a large fragment 
had been disengaged, and torn a path forty feet wide 
^nd a mile long, to the creek, where it lodged, and 
stuck about fifteen feet out of the water, which was 
eight or ten feet deep. When I arrived I did not 
think it prudent to rope the elk there, fearing he 
would jump off and kill himself. I accordingly 
returned to the others, to prevent their approaching 



84 riONEER LIFE ; OR, 

bo near as to frighten him. We passed by him as 
cautiously as possible, built a fire and called off the 
dogs. We thought that the elk would then come 
oft* himself, during the night. Blackwell and my 
brother, however, became impatient, and wanted to 
see the elk. I consented but desired them not to 
disturb him, and to' return soon. When they came 
within sight of the elk, Blackwell observed that, 
there was a good chance to rope him, and my bro- 
ther consented to try. They slipped the noose over 
his head without much difficulty, with the aid of a 
pole. They then attempted to draw the noose tight, 
and at the same moment the dogs seized the elk in 
the rear, when he sprang with one of the dogs 
clinging to him, down the precipice. At a distance 
of four hundred feet, he struck upon a sheet of ice 
which had been formed by water falling from the 
rocks above, from which he bounded, and slid seven 
nundred feet, stopping in a snow-bank, four hundred 
feet above the creek, three hundred of which was a 
sheet of frozen snow, and below that a perpendicular 
precipice of one hundred feet. I heard the plunge 
and suspected the truth. The men soon returned, 
and I asked what was the matter. They answered 
evasively, saying that they were sorry for what 
had happened. I told them my suspicions, and 
they acknowledged that they were true. I took it 
good-humoredly, as it could not now be helped, and 
told them we had better go after him. We started 
accordingly, going north about a mile, and came to 
a brook that ran down through the rocks, the bed of 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 85 

which we followed down to the creek. We then 
descended the creek three quarters of a mile and 
encamped under a projecting rock. My brother 
remained to build a fire, while Blackwell and myself 
went farther down to find, and if possible, to get the 
elk. We soon saw his hind quarters' projecting out 
of the snow bank far above us. We followed a 
ravine which led obliquely up the steep bank to a 
large rock which had arrested the impetuous descent 
of the elk, and above which he now lay. On the 
rock stood a sapling, over which we threw a rope 
by attaching a stone to one end. When we had 
secured the rope, we resorted to our usual method of 
deciding which should take the lead, as we both 
shrunk from the perilous enterprise of scaling the 
rock by the aid of a slender rope, with nothing but 
a steep expanse of frozen snow between us and the 
brow of a precipice of one hundred feet. The lot 
fell upon Blackwell, and sticking the tomahawk in 
his belt, he went up. He then cut steps in the snow 
to the elk, which lay about forty feet above the sap- 
ling. I followed him, but believing the steps to be 
too small and unsafe, I requested him to slip the 
tomahawk down to me that I might enlarge them. 
One false step would have precipitated me down the 
crust of snow and over the precipice. I reached the 
elk safely, and we began to dig away the snow from 
the lower side, intending to roll it out upon the crust 
and let it elide down the snow bank. But Blackwell 
noticed that the sapling stood in the course it would 
ts»Vp arid feared that it would so with such force as 



8 



86 PIONEER LIFE ; OB, 

to break it if he should hit it, and thus cut off our 
means of returning. 1 called to my brother to bring 
a pole with which to guide the elk, and then rolled 
it out upon the crust. It flew down the snow, giving 
the sapling a glancing stroke, and over the precipice 
striking the ice below with a heavy plunge. We 
retraced our steps and arrived safely on the ice. 
The meat of the elk was so badly bruised as to be 
of little value, but we obtained enough for our im- 
mediate use, which we carried to the camp. The 
next morning we skinned and cut up our elk, Black- 
well securing the meat for his dog, and my brofner 
took the skin. Soon after, Benjamin arrived with 
the man James Gamble, and the two dogs he had 
been sent to procure, in a sleigh, which gave the 
other men a conveyance in which they returned 
Home. Gamble, Benjamin and myself started again 
for elk about one o'clock the same day. Afterreach- 
ing the top of the hill, we struck a northwestern 
course, and went about five miles when we encamped. 
The next morning before we had proceeded three* 
quarters of a mile, we found where three large bucks 
had been feeding during the previous night. About 
a mile farther we discovered them lying down, and 
let loose two of the best dogs. One of the elk came 
forward to meet the dogs, the other two started off 
to the south. The one which remained maintained 
his ground for a time, but the dogs were so furious 
that he finally started off in a westerly direction, ran 
eight miles, and stopped to fight the dogs. From 
appearances we judged that he must have remained 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. S7 

here about half an hour. "We traveled on as fast as 
possible in a direct westerly course toward Kettle 
Creek, for about ten miles from where the elk had 
stopped, when Gamble remarked that the elk would 
not stop in such open woods as we were then trav 
ersing, and that we had better encamp. I told him 
that it could not be more than two or three miles to 
Kettle Creek, and perhaps he would stop on a rock 
in going down the hill. Accordingly we went two 
miles farther where we found good camping ground, 
and as the others were tired and wanted to rest, I 
told them to build a fire while I continued on to see 
if I could learn any thing of the dogs. After run- 
ning about a mile I came to a high bluff where I 
stood listening until I thought I heard them. I then 
ascended a tree which stood near, when I could dis- 
tinctly hear the barking of the dogs, about two miles 
distant on the other side of the creek. I called to 
Benjamin and Gamble, and they hurried along in 
my track. When they had passed two or three rods 
by the tree in which I was concealed I set up a yell 
like the cry of a panther. They looked up the tree, 
and seeing a dark object in the branches, they were 
very much frightened. After enjoying their alarm 
a moment I laughed, and told them to hurry on and 
I would come down immediately. We went in the 
direction from which the sounds proceeded, crossed 
Kettle Creek on the ice, and found the elk on a rock 
fighting the dogs. The rock was about fifteen feet 
by thirty on the surface, and was fifteen feet above 
the creek on the side next the creek, and four feet on 



88 pioneer life; or, 

the other. We encamped wit-Inn live rods of the 
rock, and prepared our supper After some consulta- 
tion, we concluded not to attempt catching the elk 
until daylight, as it was now two o'clock at night. 
We accordingly called oft' the dogs, and arranged it 
so as to take turns in watching him. 1 watched for 
the first two hours, when he lay down and I awoke 
Gamble, who was to take the next watch. In a short 
time he laid down again, thinking the elk would not 
leave the rock before morning. At daybreak I awoke 
and perceived that the elk had gone, and the dogs 
were asleep. I soon dressed and took the dogs to 
the rock and sent them after the elk, which had 
taken the back track I thought that if the dogs 
foimfl and attacked hini he would return to the rock. 
When I returned to the camp I found the others 
dressing, and told them what I had done. They 
thought we might as well pack up and start in pur- 
suit immediately after breakfast, as they did not 
believe he would return to the rock. In a short time, 
he came bounding back, and again took his station 
on the rock. We found that we could not rope him 
while he remained on the rock, and we therefore 
withdrew and allowed him to come off. He went 
down to the ereek, when I cut a large club and went 
^on the rock, telling the others to drive the elk back. 
They let the dogs loose and he came toward the rock. 
As he passed me, I gave him a blow with the club, 
which made little impression on him, when I gave 
him two more with all my strength, which dropped 
him to his knees. He rose, wheeled around and 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 89 

went to the lower side of the rock, against which he 
backed himself, and stood warding off the attack of 
the dogs. I took a rope to that part of the rock 
which overhung the elk, and threw the rope over his 
horns, drawing it close down to his head. We then 
attached the other end of the rope to a tree, and 
proceeded to build around him a pen of logs, ten by 
twenty-two feet square, and twelve feet high. When 
it was completed, we threw in browse sufficient to 
supply him four or five days, and then laid poles 
across the top, which we covered with hemlock 
boughs, forming a snug and comfortable shelter. 
Before leaving him, we gave him about twenty feet 
of slack rope. We then packed up and started for 
home, encamping that night about five miles below, 
on the west side of the creek. The next morning, 
when we started, the snow was three feet deep. We 
crossed Kettle Creek, and struck a direct east course, 
expecting to reach a creek with which we were 
acquainted, but missed our way, and struck Cedar 
Creek, ten miles from where we had started in the 
morning. As it was becoming dark, we provided 
ourselves with torches of yellow pin^, and started 
down the creek. After wading five miles through 
water from two to ten inches deep, we reached Big 
Pine Creek about two o'clock in the morning We 
had now either to wade through the creek, then very 
high and full of slush ice, or to go around a moun- 
tain and reach the creek at a crossing place a mile 
and a half below. We finally determined to cross, 
jf possible, where we were, as we were nearer home, 



90 pioneer life; or, 

and on the opposite shore lived three lumbermen, 
who could afford us the refreshments we felt we so 
much needed. I went out into the stream, to see 
whether a crossing was practicable. The water was 
three feet deep, unusually rapid, and a short distance 
below was a deep hole, but I resolved to make the 
attempt. Returning to the shore I took hold of 
Benjamin with one hand, while in the other I car- 
ried the axe ; Benjamin took hold of Gamble, who 
in his other hand carried a stick with which to brace 
us against the force of the current. The bottom 
was rocky, with moss growing upon it, which aided 
us in retaining a footing. We finally succeeded in 
reaching safely the other shore, a distance of fifteen 
rods. Our dogs swam after us, but the best one was 
carried down under the ice and drowned. About 
four o clock we reached the lumberman's, and they 
immediately arose and prepared some refreshments, 
for us, which we took, and without stopping to rest, 
we started for my brother's, six miles distant. The 
traveling was so difficult that we did not arrive there 
until two o clock in the afternoon. The next day, a» 
I was quite lame, I hired four men to go and bring 
the elk home. There was a kind of trail to Kettle 
Creek fifteen miles, and from there to the pen was 
ten miles. In the afternoon of the second day they 
reached the place, but found that the elk had thrown 
down the pen, gnawed off the rope, and escaped 
with twenty feet of it. The party returned, and gave 
me an account of my misfortune. I was still lame, 
and hired three others to catch him. Thov were to 



THIRTY YEA.R8 A HUNTER. 91 

Lave sixty dollars when they had secured him unin 
jured, and assisted me to bring him home. They 
started out with two good dogs, and had not gone 
more than three miles before they found him entan- 
gled by the rope among the trees and bushes. They 
secured him, built a pen around him, and leaving 
with him a supply of food, came and informed me 
of their success. I hired another man and proceeded 
to the spot. In four days we brought him in — a 
large and beautiful animal, with antlers five and a 
half feet long. 



CHAPTER IX. 

ELK-HUNTING ON THE SUSQUEHANNAH 

When I lived on Kenzua Flats, in 1816, I went 
to see Coruplanter, about catching some elk. He 
said that I could not do it ; that no Indian of the Six 
]S"ations had done it, or any white man that he knew 
of. He said that young elk three or four months old 
had been caught, but no live, full-grown one could 
be — they were lords of the forest. I told him that 
I had caught or assisted in catching and leading in 
three. He asked how we led them, and I informed 
him. He said he did not know but it was possible, 
but he did not believe I could take one that winter 
on the Allegany, as he thought they were larger 
and wilder than those on the Susquehannah. I told 
him that if he would show me the track of an elk — 
I did not care how large — the larger the better; I 
would willingly wager a small sum of money that I 
would bring one in alive. He said that he could 
show plenty of elk-tracks. I told him to find a man 
that I could hire, and I would employ him. He 
brought a man who charged a dollar a day, which I 
agreed to pay him on condition that he would find 
a track. He said there was ho doubt but that we 
could find one There was no rope to be orocured 



THIRTY YEAES A HUNTER. 93 

except one that belonged to Cornplanter, for which 
he wanted two dollars, but agreed to refund the 
money if I returned the rope uninjured. I agreed 
to his terms, and left the money. As we parted he 
wanted to shake hands, saying that he never expect- 
ed to see me again if I attempted to catch an elk 
alive. The next morning the Indian I had engaged 
joined me, and I entered into a partnership with a 
Mr. Campbell, each of us to stand half the expense 
and have half the profits. We hired two other men 
who were to have all they killed and half that we 
killed. On the third day of January, Campbell and 
myself, the two white men, the Indian, and four 
dogs started up Kenzua Creek. We went about 
twelve miles up the south branch, and encamped for 
the night. The next morning we continued about 
six miles, to the top of a hill, and halted. The 
Indian said we would find elk within four or five 
miles of this spot. I proposed to divide, Campbell, 
myself and the Indian each taking a separate course 
while the two others should remain to build a camp 
where we would all meet at nign:. lccordr>gly 'vs 
soon as we had eaten dinner we all started, an 1 
remained out until dark, when we met at the camp. 
No one had discovered any indications of elk. The 
next morning I told them we would hunt one day 
more, each upon a different course. 1 took a direct 
easterly course, and the others chose each his own 
route. At night all but the Indian came in, without 
having discovered any signs of an elk. I told 
Campbell I thought it useless to hunt here longer. 



94 pioneer life; ok, 

as there were probably no elk in the vicinity. About 
eight o'clock one of the party discovered the Indian 
coming in, followed apparently by one of the dogs. 
He remarked that one of the dog3 was loose, and 
following the Indian in. I found the dogs all in 
their places, and told the men I thought it was a 
wolf they saw. At this moment he stopped and we 
saw at a glance that it was a panther. We sprang 
forward with our guns, when he turned and moved 
off. We followed him two miles, without obtaining 
a shot at him, when we returned to the camp. We 
paid the Indian and let him go. I told Campbell I 
would not be disappointed in this manner, but would 
hunt all winter rather than give up. We concluded 
to go to the head waters of the Susquehannah, and 
accordingly started on the eighth of January, going 
about fifteen miles up the Kenzua, and encamped 
for the night. The next day, when we had proceed- 
ed about twelve miles we arrived at a place where 
a village now stands, but at that time there was but 
a solitary house in which lived a family named 
Smith. The man had gone to procure a barrel of 
lour, and since his departure a deep snow had fallen. 
He had now been gone three days beyond the ex- 
pected time, and the supply of provisions and fuel 
which he had left was nearly exhausted. In addition 
to the prospect of starvation which stared them in 
the face, his family were harrassed with the fear that 
he had perished in the snow: The next day we 
prepared her a supply of fire-wood, left a loaf of 
bread and flour enough to supply her for two days, 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 95 

and promised to send a man back, on our arrival at 
the canoe place. "We arrived there a little before 
night, and engaged a man named Burt to go back to 
the distressed family. lie took with him some corn 
meal and potatoes, and we continued on to Isaac 
Lyman's, about twelve miles farther. He asked us 
to come in ; we got to talking about elk-hunting, and 
I asked him what a full-grown live elk would be 
worth. He said from three to four hundred dollars. 
I asked him if he would purchase one if I had the 
luck to catch one. He replied that he had not the 
means, but would like to join us, and would furnish 
three men, a horse, and all the provisions necessary, 
and have one-half the profits. After some consulta- 
tion, Campbell and I finally consented to accept the 
proposal. The whole party, consisting of Campbell, 
myself, three assistants, a horse and four dogs, start- 
ed the next morning, taking the road to the Susque- 
hannah River. About twelve miles from Lyman's 
e came upon the track of eight elk, going west. 
We followed about four miles and encamped for the 
night. The next morning Campbell, myself, and 
one of the men continued on the track of the elk, 
leaving the others to build a shanty. We went about 
five miles, started the elk and killed one, with which 
we returned to the camp. We sent one of the men 
home with the meat, and started with the other two 
for the Susquehannah. The man who went home 
was to return to the camp in three days, with a sup- 
ply of provisions. After traveling seven or eight 
miles, we came to where a large drove of elk had 



96 pioneer life; ok, 

been some time before. We hunted during the day 
to ascertain what course they had taken, and about 
five miles distant we came to where they had lain 
the preceding night. Campbell and one of the men 
George Ay res, went forward, while the other man 
and myself remained behind with the dogs. They 
were to call to us when they saw the elk, and we 
were to let the dogs loose, though I told him I did 
not believe there were any there we would want to 
catch, as I thought they were all fawns and does. 
After they had gone a short distance they saw them, 
and counted forty-two. They called to us, and we 
let the dogs loose. The elk scattered, and each of 
the dogs took after a separate animal, but none of 
them stopped, and we did not kill any. The dogs 
all came back that night, and the next morning we 
went sotheast, and found signs of elk, but they all 
appeared to be small ones. By this time Mr. Ly- 
man's hands wished to go home, so we told them we 
would keep ou to the southeast, and they might go. 
The following morning they said they did not like to 
go, as the tracks might be filled with snow. We 
then said we would strike the road and they might 
go home from there, while we would go to our log 
hut, and procure some more provisions. When we 
reached the road, we told them they might as well 
go to the shanty and stay with us that night, as it 
was late. We found two men there with an abun 
dance of provisions. The next morning two men 
left, while Ayres and another remained. We hunted 
the next three days without seeing any tracks which 



THIRTY YEAR8 A HUNTER. 9T 

we thought best to follow. We then came back to 
the road, and the remaining two men left for home 
with two dogs. We sent word by them to Lyman to 
send provisions to the camp on Kettle Creek, where 
we should be in a few days. We hunted the next 
two days without accomplishing any thing, when we 
returned to the camp. On our arrival there I told 
Campbell he might take his choice to make a fire 
or kill some game. He preferred to kill the. game, 
and I proceeded to cut wood and make a, fire. He 
had not been gone more* than half an hour when 7 
heard the report of his gun. He soon came 
dragging a large fat deer, which enabled us to make 
an excellent supper. After we had eaten, we began 
to talk about our success, when Campbell said he 
would hunt but three days longer unless we were 
more successful. I told him I should hunt until the 
snow went off before I would give up. The next 
morning we went south toward Sinemahoning, seeing 
no signs of elk, and at night we returned to out 
camp. The following day Campbell was somewhat 
unwell, and I told him if he would remain and keep 
camp and dry some of the venison, I would go out 
toward Pine Creek, to which he consented. After 
proceeding about seven miles, I found where an elk 
had been browsing. The manner in which the limbs 
had been pulled down showed that it must have 
been a very large animal. I hunted in the vicinity 
several hours to ascertain the direction in which he 
went, but the tracks were so old that I could not 
decide. As I arrived at the camp a man came along 



98 pioneer life; oe, 

who said that he had seen in the road the largest elk 
tracks he ever saw. I told Campbell of the indica- 
tions I had discovered, and that the tracks were 
probably those of the same animal. We invited the 
man to eat supper with us, as we were greatly 
obliged to him for the information he had given us. 
Campbell thought we could not catch him, as we had 
not sufficient force. I told him I could take the elk 
alone. The next morning we started at daybreak 
and found the tracks of the elk, going west. A mile 
and a half farther he had lain the previous night. 
In a moment Campbell saw him, and cried out, 
" There he stands : the largest elk I ever saw ! " I 
let the dogs go, they attacked him vigorously, and 
he ran south ten miles to Kettle Creek. He then ran 
around a hill, and: turned up the east branch, which 
he ascended four miles on the ice, when he broke 
through, into water about four feet deep. Here the 
dogs worried him, as we judged, about two hours, 
when he started again, ran up a hill, and halted on a 
rock. The dogs pursued him to the rock, and then 
returned to us. We met them two or three miles 
from the elk, which had taken a circuitous course, so 
that the track at one place was but a fourth of a mile 
from the rock on which he was stationed, while it was 
two miles to follow the track. The dogs tried to go 
directly to the elk, but we thought they saw some- 
thing else, and compelled them to keep the track, 
reaching the elk about dark.. Campbell made ready 
the rope, while I cut a pole about fifteen feet long. 
He went to the south side of the rock with the dogs. 



THIRTY YEAES A HOJPTEB. 99 

to call his attention in that direction, while I mounted 
the rock on the north side, and endeavored to put 
the rope over his horns with the pole. He wheeled 
and came toward me, when I jumped from the rock, 
and he turned again to the dogs. About eight feet 
from the rock stood a hemlock tree, about two feet in 
diameter, with branches six or eight feet above the 
ground. It occurred to me that if I could climb this 
it would be an easy matter to slip the noose over the 
horns of the elk. I made the attempt, but did not 
succeed as my moccasins were frozen. I pulled 
them off and tried again, but with no better success. 
I then took off my coat, which was by no means 
pleasant, as the weather was intensely cold, but it 
enabled me to climb the tree. Campbell then passed 
the pole and- rope up to me, and called off* the dogs. 
1 shouted, and the elk turned and advanced toward 
me, when I slipped the noose over his horns, and 
with a jerk drew it tight. I then descended and 
attached the end of the rope to a tree about forty 
feet from the elk, and we pulled him from the rock, 
when we left him for the night. It was then half- 
past eleven, and we were compelled to go three-quar- 
ters of a mile to find a suitable place for encamping 
Arriving there I was attacked so severely with ner- 
vous headache that I could scarcely walk. Campbell, 
in looking for a suitable camping- place, found a 
shanty which had been built by a party of hunters 
the previous night. We found here a bed of coals 
and plenty of wood cut. Campbell replenished the 
fire, and prepared a decoction of hemlock boughs 



100 pioneek life; ok, 

which greatly relieved me. He then cooked supper, 
and when we had eaten, it was two o'clock. Our 
next thought was to procure assistance enough to 
convey home our elk. The nearest settlement was 
forty miles distant, and I told Campbell that as I 
was the stronger I had better go. He said he pre* 
ferred going himself, as he did not understand how 
to take care of an elk. As he desired it I consented. 
He started the next morning, taking with him the 
dogs, went to Cowdersport, the nearest settlement, 
and in four days returned with three men and a 
horse. 

About ten o'clock one night during his absence I 
heard bells on the east side of Kettle Creek. I 
walked down to the creek, and as I reached the bank 
a sleigh drawn by two horses drove into the creek on 
the opposite side. The weight of the horses broke 
the ice the entire width of the stream, and when 
they reached the bank they could not draw the 
sleigh out of the water. The man then went to the 
hind end of the sleigh with a bar of iron, which he 
used as a lever, and spoke to the horses. They 
made another attempt to extricate the sleigh, and 
fell. He came to the forward end, and for the first 
time saw me. He was startled at the unexpected 
appearance of a human form in that wilderness, and 
cried out, "In the name of God, what are you? A 
man, or a ghost?" I assured him that I was flesh 
and blood, and he said I should have spoken to him. 
I replied I was so intent in watching his operations 
that I had not thought of speaking. He asked me 



TIIIBTY YEARS A HUBTEB. 101 

to start the horses, while he went behind and pushed 
with his lever. I told him it was useless ; the horses 
had already tried, and were unable to draw the 
6leigh out. He went in, however, and spoke to the 
horsey when they made another effort and fell again. 
I told him to come out of the water and go to the 
camp, and I would be there soon with his horses and 
sleigh. He was quite willing to accept my offer, 
and started for the camp. I detached the horses 
from the sleigh, brought them to the top of the bank 
and connected them by a chain which I found in 
the sleigh to the end of the tongue. As they could 
now obtain firm footing, they brought the sleigh to 
the top of the bank without difficulty. Just as I 
was starting for the camp, another man arrived at 
the opposite bank, with a horse and cutter, and 
wished to cross. I advised him to leave his cutter 
and ride his horse through the creek, which he did, 
and we went to the camp together. On our arrival 
there we found the other man in excruciating pain. 
His clothes were so frozen before he reached the 
camp, that he could scarcely walk, and he had 
nearly perished. They both believed that they 
would have frozen, had it not been for the assistance 
I rendered. Tne following morning as they did not 
like to leave me there alone, I accompanied them to 
their destination, ten miles distant, where we left 
the sleighs and harness, and rode the horses back to 
the camp. Quite early the next morning Campbell 
arrived with the four men, the horses and sleigh. 
We immediately set to removing the elk, and in two 



102 pioneer life; ok, 

days we arrived with liirn at Cowdersport. We 
there settled with Lyman, he to be one-half owner 
of the elk, and Campbell and myself, each a quarter. 
Lyman sold one-half his share to a man named 
Waterman, for two hundred and fifty dollars, the elk 
being valued at a thousand dollars. We all four 
went with him to Olean, forty miles distant, where 
we obtained twelve dollars by exhibiting him. We 
then exhibited him at a place six miles farther, and 
made six dollars more. At the latter place a man 
bet five dollars that he could hold him by grasping 
his nose with one hand, with his other arm around 
his horns. He lost the money, however, the animal 
striking him in the back with one of its hind feet, so 
severely that it drew blood, 

December tenth, 1818, I started out on an elk- 
catching expedition, accompanied by John Camp- 
bell, Joseph Darling, and an Indian named Billy 
Fox. The first day, Campbell killed a fine, fat deer, 
and in the evening, at a distance of seven miles from 
home, we regaled ourselves with a steak from it. 
The following day we dismissed Darling, and sent 
Fox to hunt for an elk-track, while Campbell and I 
dried meat. Fox crossed Kenzua Creek, and went 
in the direction of Stump Creek, where he found a 
track. He ascertained its direction, and returned to 
the camp. The next morning, as there was bright 
moonlight, we started at three o'clock. We followed 
the track but a short distance, as it was an old one. 
We ascended a hill, and found the track of an elk 
which had passed that morninc After following 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 103 

the track three-quarters of a mile, we saw the elk 
feeding upon moss. We let loose our three dogs, 
two of which chased him to a rock, while the other 
one turned and came back to us in a short time, and 
the two, after stopping the elk, went to the camp. 
When we reached the rock the elk had gone, but we 
had one good dog, which soon sent him bounding 
hack. »We stood aside and let him mount the rock, 
out when we attempted to rope him he leaped from 
the rock at a place where it was ten feet to the 
ground, and ran down the hill. It was nearly dark, 
but notwithstanding, we chased him about two miles, 
when the dogs stopped him on another rock. In an 
hour we had secured him. I then sent for men and 
a horse to assist us in conveying him home, which 
was forty miles distant. We arrived there in three 
days, and Campbell sold his share fur two hundred 
dollars. I soon after sold my share for two hundred 
and sixty dollars, with the privilege of exhibiting 
him in Warren, which brought me fourteen dollars 
and a half. This elk was captured with less trouble, 
expense and time than any I ever caught. 

A few days after, Morrison, Campbell and myself 
departed from Warren on another elk-hunt. At 
Kenzua we hired a man, two horses and four good 
dogs. We went to an old camp, about sixteen miles 
distant, and sent back the man and team. The next 
morning we started, and after traveling twelve miles 
we struck the tracks of two elk, which we followed 
till we found them quite fresh, when, it being late. 
we encamped. The day following, a warm south 



104- PIoNEEE LIFE | OR. 

wind was blowing, accompanied oy a drizzling rain, 
started out, and when we had gone two miles we 
iound where they had rested during the night. Let- 
ting the dogs go, they chased them twenty miles, 
when one of the elk halted upon a rock. We arrived 
there about dark, and in half an hour succeeded in 
capturing him. We then built a fire by the side of 
a projecting rock, and my companions went to sleep 
notwithstanding the rain and mud, but I sat up and 
kept fire, as I could not sleep. In the morning the 
rain ceased, but as we ail felt the need of some 
repose, we concluded to remain there another day. 
We were now thirty miles from the head of Stump 
Creek, thirty miles from Kenzua. For that place 
Campbell and Morrison started the next day, to 
procure a horse, as the easiest manner of removing 
an elk was to lead it with a horse. After going 
fifteen miles Campbell returned, saying that he did 
not wish to walk so far, when Morrison could do the 
business as well without him. At the end of three 
davs Morrison returned with a man and a horse. In 
the meantime Campbell and I had cut a road 
through the underbrush twelve miles. With our 
increased force we started for Kenzua, arriving there 
in two days. 

We had contracted with a Mr. Tanner, of Warren 
to take the elk at five hundred dollars, if it was a 
large, handsome one, but as the one we had did not 
answer the conditions, we sent word to him that he 
might take the elk a* - a lower price, or we would 
take him east, where we would undoubtedly find a 



THIETT YEAES A I1UNTEU. 105 

good sale for him. Tanner said that if we would 
take the "animal to Warren, he would purchase it at 
some price. We accordingly built a raft upon which 
we conveyed it to Warren. When Tanner saw it he 
offered three hundred dollars, if one of us would 
assist him in taking it to Pittsburgh, and to the one 
who went he would pay a dollar a day. We accepted 
the terms, and I offered sixteen dollars to either of 
the others who would go and leave me at liberty to 
return to my family. Morrison and Campbell each 
offered me sixteen dollars if I would go, as they 
thought I could manage the elk better than either 
of them; and Tanner offered me all I could make 
by exhibiting him until we arrived within forty -five 
miles of Pittsburgh. I concluded to accept the offer 
and set to building cabin on a raft, for the elk. 
We took him on board with the assistance of a horse, 
and the next day started for Pittsburgh. 

In 1822, Campbell and myself hired another man 
named Avery, and went out about twenty miles for 
an elk-hunt. Having established our camp, Camp 
bell and myself left the next day, leaving Avery to 
keep camp. For three days we hunted without any 
success, and returned to the camp. During our 
absence Avery had been kept in a constant state of 
alarm by wild animals. Two panthers and eight 
wolves had prowled around the camp, and so terrified 
him that he declared he would not again stay alone 
in the woods for all the elk in them. We wanted 
him to remain until we had taken an elk, which he 
agreed to do, if he could be with us while we hunted 



106 fioneeb life; ok. 

We accordingly took him with us the next day, but 
when we returned to our camp at night, he was 
nearly exhausted, having waded through deep snow 
ail day, and the following day was quite willing to 
remain in the camp. At a moment when Avery 
was out for wood, Campbell and I packed provisions 
sufficient for three days, and when we left the camp, 
he supposed we would return at night. For two 
days we hunted without finding a track that we con- 
sidered best to follow, and on the morning of the 
third started for the camp, but soon struck the track 
of a large elk, which had just passed and was within 
a short distance We let loose the dogs and gave 
chase. The snow was two and a half feet deep, with 
a stiff crnst, rendering it extremely difficult for the 
elk to run, w T hile the dogs could skip along over the 
crust, and worry him at every step. He ran toward 
onr camp seven miles, when he turned and stood at 
bay upon a large rock. We roped him without 
much difficulty, and watched him that night. The 
next morning we started for the camp, arriving there 
about eleven o'clock, and found Avery with a sad 
tale. He said that after our departure the wolves 
kept howling around the camp, and as night began 
to approach, an examination into the stores revealed 
the cruel trick we had played upon him. When 
the suspicion flashed upon his mind that he was 
doomed to pass another night here, with no com- 
pany, save that of the wolves and panthers, which 
might possibly form a repast of him before morning, 
he gave vent to his feelings in a flood of tears. The 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 107 

next day he resolved to leave the camp, and go home, 
but before he had proceeded more than a mile, he 
heard the howling of wolves, and as he had no gun, 
he hastened back to the camp. He had a good 
knife, an axe and a tomahawk, and to these means 
of defence he added clubs and pointed sticks. He 
also kept a large fire constantly blazing, and built a 
scaffold about five feet high, on which he slept. He 
had passed the time, notwithstanding all these pre- 
cautions, in constant anxiety, and was heartily glad 
to see human faces again, but when he learned that 
we had captured an elk, he was much more delighted. 
We all went to a traveled road about fifteen miles 
distant, and from there sent Avery to procure a man 
and horse, to assist in taking the elk home, while 
Campbell and I returned to the camp. On the sec- 
ond day after leaving us, he returned with a Mr. 
Dixon and a horse. We started the next morning 
for our elk, but when we arrived at the place where 
we had left him, he was not there. He, as one had 
done several years before, probably commenced lick- 
ing the rope and continued until it was chewed off, 
and escaped. We let the dogs loose, and followed 
•ourselves about two miles, where the elk stopped 
among some logs. Now that we had him we resolved 
to make sure of him, so we watched him all night, 
and the next day took him to the camp. From there 
we traveled by way of Kenzua, and in three days 
arrived at my residence near Cold Spring, in Catta- 
raugus county, New York. We remained there a 
few days, and exhibited the animal, and then went 



108 pioneer life; ok, 

with him to Ellicottviile, where we sold him'for one 
hundred and ten dollars. This was the last elk I 
ever caught, the low price obtained for him making 
the business so unprofitable that I abandoned it 



CHAPTER X. 

ELK-HUNTING — CONTINUED. 

Tn 1800, a party of four, my brother Jacob, George 
Wilson, Joshua Knapp, and myself proceeded on an 
elk-hunt. Expecting the campaign would last about 
6ix weeks, we took an abundant supply of provision!:, 
consisting of flour, potatoes, sugar, chocolate, corn, 
and a quantity of salt with which to cure our meat. 
We were also provided with half a dozen empty 
barrels for the meat, an iron pot holding about six 
gallons, a camp kettle, four axes, a broad axe, a chalk 
line, a canoe howel, (an instrument for scooping out 
canoes,) a drawing knife, two augurs, six tomahawks, 
and several pounds of powder and lead. Each of us 
took, besides, a rifle, two knives, a quart cup, four 
shirts and two blankets, not forgetting a supply of 
soap. Thus equipped, and accompanied by four 
dogs, we set out, placing our effects in a canoe, whicii 
two of the party pushed up the stream, while the 
others hunted along the shore. We left on the 12th 
of October, starting for the Big Meadows. The 
second day we saw seven elk, in the river, eating 
moss. As Knapp said he had never killed an elk. I 
told him to take two of the dogs and go. As the 
dogs started for the elk, two does turned, advanced 

10 



110 

toward tuein, but as they met, the does left the water 
ran down the stream about half a mile, and went 
into the creek where Wilson and my brother hap- 
pened to be with the canoe. The does stopped in 
the water, where it was three feet deep, and they 
shot them, dragged them out of the water and cut 
their throats. I then sent my dogs after an elk, 
which ran into the stream from the east bank, near 
where they were pulling the canoe over some rapids. 
The elk approached within thirty feet of them before 
they were observed, but they were so much excited 
that they did not take good aim, and both missed. 
The elk ran down the stream, about half a mile, when 
the dogs stopped them, and Knapp shot one of them. 
Two of us skinned and dressed the elk, while the 
other two made a pine trough holding about four 
barrels, in which to salt the meat. When the meat 
was cut from the bone and nicely salted down in the 
trough, we put it under a bank in a cool place, and 
covered it over with large, flat stones, over which we 
placed larger ones, and then rolled on two large logs 
which we fastened down with withes. We then 
broke the bones and extracted the marrow, of which, 
and the fat, we secured forty-five pounds from the 
three elk. The next day, leaving the meat there, but 
taking the tallow and skins, we proceeded up the 
creek, and the second day killed two large, fat does, 
which we dressed and quartered, and laid the meat 
in the canoe. We arrived at the place of rendezvous 
about two o'clock, and proceeded to erect a log house. 
When tliis was completed, we tried the tallow, saked 



THIRTY TEARS A HUNTKR. Ill 

our meat, and in two days set out with provisions 
sufficient for a couple of weeks. Jacob and Wilson 
ascended the creek to the Big Elk Lick. When 
they arrived there they counted forty -seven elk in 
the vicinity. They tied up their dogs in blankets, 
so that they could not see, hear, or make any noise, 
and shot eight elk, singling out the largest and 
fattest. When the first ones fell, the whole herd 
commenced squealing, creating such a noise as to 
make the ground tremble. The men had but about 
a bushel of salt with them, and drove away the rest 
of the elk, not wishing to destroy wantonly more 
than they could save. Wilson was inexperienced in 
elk-hunting, and was alarmed. He said that the 
elk would 6trike the wounded one, run their horns 
against the trees, and jump to a great height, some 
of them touching branches fifteen feet high. On 
the day they started for the licks Knapp and myself 
went up the Marsh Fork about five miles, and came 
upon the track of seven elk, which we followed into 
the marsh and there encamped. The marsh con- 
tained about two thousand acres and was surrounded 
by bluff hills. In high water it was overflowed, but 
was dry in summer. In the morning I ascended one 
of the bluffs, where I could see the whole of the 
marsh, and discovered the elk about half a mile off. 
After observing them awhile I descended, ate break- 
fast, and we started out after the elk. I wen 4 : 
forward, telling Knapp to keep his dog back. As 
we approached the elk they sprang to their feet and 
ran off. We let the dogs loose, each taking after 



112 pioneee life; ok, 

different elk. He followed his dog and I followed 
mine. In a short time I heard the report of his gun, 
but followed on after my elk for about seven miles, 
when I returned to the place where I had left my 
companion. I asked him where was the elk that I 
had heard him shoot. He replied that as he fired 
the elk fell, and he supposed him dead. Laying 
down his gun and bag of four, he approached the 
elk, placed his foot upon his antlers, and attempted 
to cut his throat, but as soon as the knife touched his 
neck the elk sprang up, and seeing the bag of flour, 
he rushed at it, struck his antlers through it and ran 
off with the flour above his head. We started in 
pursuit, and followed the track to a dry, stony ridge, 
where we could no longer distinguish it, and we 
struck across to our camp, arriving there a little 
after dark. As we had bread enough for only two 
days, we concluded to go down to the block-house 
and recruit. The others had been there before us, 
and left word upon a shingle that they had killed 
eight elk, and there was still a chance to kill more. 
They desired us to come up with the canoe after the 
meat, which Knapp wished to do ; but I resolved not 
to join the others and incur their ridicule until I 
had met with better success. Knapp said he should 
take the canoe and meet the others, even if he was 
compelled to go alone. I accordingly put up a sup- 
ply of provisions and prepared to hunt alone Just 
before I started, however, Knapp's courage failed, 
and he concluded to accompany me. We proceeded 
up Big Pine Creek, in the direction the others had 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 113 

taken. When we had gone about three miles we 
discovered five elk in the creek eating moss. I 
asked Knapp for his gun, so that I could fire twice 
without loading. He handed it to me, and remained 
behind, holding back his dog, while I crept along to 
within sixty yards of them, with my dog behind me. 
As one of them raised his head I fired, and the elk 
fell: The others gathered around it, and I snatched 
up Knapp's gun and shot another. The three others 
then left the water and started up the hill. I let my 
dog go, and he singled out a large buck, which he 
stopped about a mile and a half ahead. I tried to 
drive him back to the creek by throwing clubs, but 
he would not go. I shot him low in the breast, so as 
to wound without killing him. This started him 
toward the water, and when he reached it- Knapp 
shot him. We then brought up our canoes, which 
were two and a half miles below, skinned the elk 
put them into the canoe, and proceeded with them 
to the block-house. Expecting the other party down 
the next day, we left word on a shingle that we had 
killed ten elk, and then left the camp to hunt in the 
vicinity. We went down' the creek and returned 
about three o'clock. The others were there, an: 
we approached the cabin we heard them say they 
wished they had killed a few more, so as to have 
least one more than we. On going into the ca 
they asked us where our other seven elk were, as 
they saw but three. We replied that we left them 
at the Big Marsh. They said it would be a difficui: 
job to bring them down, in which opinion we fully 

♦10 



114 pioneek life; or, 

•concurred in our own minds, especially as the prin- 
cipal part of the difficulty consisted in killing them. 
They sat in silence until we told them that the elk 
we left at the Big Marsh were still alive and at 
liberty, which piece of intelligence raised their 
spirits greatly. When I informed them of Knapp's 
adventure, they nearly went wild with merriment, 
lying on the floor and rolling in an ecstacy of mirth. 
When their merriment had subsided, it was judged 
that Knapp should be randeled, inasmuch as he had 
transgressed an important rule of the chase. The 
rule was that when a gun was discharged it should 
instantly be reloaded, so that the hunter would be 
prepared for any exigency ; but Knapp had lain down 
his gun empty, instead of reloading it, and thus lost 
the game. The operation of randeling was the usual 
punishment among hunters for any neglect of duty, 
and consisted in seating the offender upon a stool^ 
while others, in turn went up and pulled his hair, 
sometimes plucking out a few. The odor of this 
adventure never left Knapp. 

The following morning we took the canoe and all 
our tools, and ascended to the Lick, where we in- 
tended to make another canoe. Ko elk had been 
there since Jacob and Wilson had made such havoc 
among them. The next day we concluded to start 
out, each one in a different direction, and to meet 
again at night. Jacob tossed up with Wilson, and 
Knapp with me, to decide which should take the 
west side of the creek, that side being preferable. 
It fell on Wilson and me to take the west side. I 



THIETY YEABS A HUNTEE 115 

went d o wn the creek to where a branch came in 
and found there some old elk tracks, which I fol- 
lowed until it was so late that I could not return 
to the camp that night. I encamped on the elk- 
track, and spent the most dismal night that I ever 
experienced. The wolves flocked around me in 
droves, and their unearthly howling, mingled with 
-ae dismal screeching of the owls overhead made a 
concert of sounds that banished sleep from my 
eves the greater part of the night. I sat in my 
shanty, with my gun in one hand, a tomahawk in 
the other, and a knife by my side. When the 
wolves became unusually uproarous, I would send 
the dog out to drive them away, and if they drove 
him in, I would fire in among them. At length. 
toward morning, I fell asleep from 6heer exhaustion, 
and slept until daylight, when I arose, ate my break- 
tast, and started again on the elk-track. About four 
miles from where I had slept I arrived at a creek 
running southwest and emptying into Pine Creek at 
a point about five miles below the Lick. The elk 
had ascended the creek, and thinking it would not 
be best to follow I descended the stream to its junc- 
tion with Pine Creek. When I arrived at the mouth 
I found the others there making a canoe, and the 
sight of a human countenance was a welcome one to 
me, with the horrors of the previous night still fresh 
in my mind. As I approached them I concealed 
myself and imitated the howl of a wolf. After the 
lessons of the previous night, I made a very success- 
ful imitation, and thought I would try my powers by 



116 pioneeb life; o::, 

imitating the cry of a panther. I repeated the cry 
twice, when they all stood listening in considerable 
consternation, and one of them cried out, " It is a 
panther!" My brother's practiced ear, however, 
detected the fraud, and he replied that he thought 
it was a two-legged one, and would soon make his 
appearance. As I came up, they asked what luck, 
expecting I had killed something. I marked three, 
and they asked, why I had killed three elk up there. 
I told them to give themselves no uneasiness about 
my elk, as they were as well able to take care of 
themselves as ever. The rest of the party had 
killed nothing. In about a week we had finished 
three good canoes, each capable of carrying from 
twenty-live to fifty hundred weight. We started on 
another hunt, examining the country throughout, but 
could find no elk. We then commenced hunting 
deer. Three men stationed themselves on the creek, 
about a mile apart, while the other, with the dogs, 
scoured the woods. When he saw a deer, he let a 
dog go, which would chase it to the creek, and as it 
ran up or down the stream, would come within shot 
or one of the men. If the man saw another deer, 
he let loose another dog, and in this manner we 
frequently killed three or four deer in a day. In 
five days we killed fifteen handsome animals, one 
being driven in by a wolf. We secured their skins, 
tallow, and meat, and as the water was so low that 
we could not get over the rapids with our canoe, we 
continued to hunt. In three days we killed five 
more, when a rain caused a rise in the water, which 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 117 

enabled us to start down with our canoes, loaded 
with our tools and game In five days we arrived 
at my father's residence, where we divided our skins, 
venison, and tallow, giving to Wilson and Knapp a 
few more than an even proportion of the skins, as 
they had furnished a greater share of the supplies. 
They also took the two large canoes, and we the 
small one, and a rifle worth thirty dollars. 

After our return that winter, we were very suc- 
cessful in hunting, my brother and myself killing 
fortv-seven deer fifteen bears and two elk. 



V. 



CHAPTER XL 

NATURE, HABITS. AND MANNER OF HUNTING THE ELK. 

The elk is a member of the same family as the 

deer, but; is a much more noble specimen than the 

common deer, growing sometimes sixteen hands 

Hi^h. which is the height of a medium sized horse, 

and often weighing six hundred pounds. The buck 

ia provided with large and beautiful antlers. These 

grow the second year to the length of two or two 

and a half feet, being sometimes a single spike, but 

>ften with one or two branches. The sixth year the 

antlers are from rive to six and a half feet long, with 

several branches, the largest number I ever observed 

lug seven on one antler and six on the other: the 

which projected forward being from fifteen to 

-:teen inches long. Between the nostiil and the 

:s a:, opening or vent through which they blow 

to produce the peculiar noise which is heard during 

the rutting season, or when they are frightened. 

ue noise in the doe resembles very nearly in tone 

whinny of a horse, while that produced by the 

k is not as shrill, being somewhat more like the 

c: an ass. but can be heard sometimes at a 

Itmrffi of three miles. During the rutting season 

this sound often betravs the elk to the hunter, lie 



THIRTY TEARS A HUNTER. 119 

can easily perceive whether it proceeds from a buck 
or a doe, and replies to it in the tone of the opposite 
sex, until the animal approaches within shot. In the 
month of March the elk sheds his antlers, and new 
ones begin to grow about the middle of April, which 
arrive at their full growth in August. During the 
process of their formation they are covered with a 
substance of a reddish-brown color, called the velvet 
under which course innumerable blood-vessels. At 
this period they are extremely sensitive, but about 
the middle of August, when they have attained their 
full growth, they lose their sense of feeling, and the 
animal begins to rub them against the trees to 
remove the velvet. During this process the antlers 
have a gory appearance, but at length the extraneous 
matter is all removed, and they appear in their per- 
fect state, seamed in every direction by the traces of 
the blood vessels with which they were covered 
luring their growth. The tail of the elk is about 
five inches long, and is similar to that of a bear.. 
Their color in winter is a dun, which changes in 
April or May to a light reddish-brown, except the 
hips, which are always yellow, like those of a deer. 
The motion of the elk is an ambling trot, which it 
will maintain for a long period, without apparent 
fatigue. Sometimes they will run six or seven days 
before they become exhausted. In their manner of 
breeding, as well as many other things, they resem- 
ble domestic cattle. They bring forth their young 
in May — rarely more than one at a time, and never 
more than two. 



Hie inost favorable that fin : : : p i :.k :s Uft the 

: rd together, and the 

us sixty in one herd. utter a 

Jiar hollow roar, which can be hear ,:eat 

roaehed them cant gc 

and when near : 

of running, would race the C 

orert near, and shot the: 

•vonld gather around U 
mpanions, makiu^ :. «:<:.■.: i 

ppear as if 
as rail of them. In this manner I have fij 
, killing red. 

N : ' : mne the slanghter, I then came 

1 at them, and did 

but stood 1-bound. A 

I tnrned and K A: 

together in great nnmbers at U 
?, where emain a week or two. In 

b jled in snch numbers at a '.. 
that the trees for an acre or two around were killed 

htm in rubbing off 
; the bark. W}m 
; 4 r the licks they would fight so that the 
weaker ones could not reach the lick in three or :; 

From June to the middle of August they 
moss, remaining a short 
an to the woods and scatter th : 

>~ member, Tlie does and 



THIBTY TEARS A EIT5TE?.. 

fawns wouia collect in droves and remain * 
until the U -Then they would a_- 

scatter through the woods. About the tenth of June 
the does would leave their young at a little d 
and come to the river for the moss in its bed. anc 
tender feed which grew on the banks. If we saw a 
doe near the river without her fawn, we started i 
her with our best dogs, and she would run at 
to where she had left her fawn, with which she 
would take to the water. When the dogs pressed 
her hard, she would turn and face them, to pr 
her fawn, until she had reached a place w 
water was deep enough to protect them from 
dogs. If we wished to secure the fawn we sho: 
doe, and then sent the dogs into the water, phmgmg 
in after them ourselves, to prevent them :. 
destroying the fawn. This was the most successful 
manner of taking young elk. On taking them fa I 
we generally put them in a yard with a cal: 
which it would become* much attached. 
as easily trained to work as a colt or a steer. I ; 
taken full grown buck elk which were very unman- 
ageable at first, but after shedding their ant. 
became tractable and were roken to the 

-5, and were ever after very gentle, excep- 
time in September and October, when their 
-vere full-grown. A female elk will stand ar 
herself to be milked, and their milk is near 
to that of a cow, both in quality and quan: 
my opinion the elk would prove a valuable add:- 
I 

11 



122 pioneeb life; or, 

among them. It possesses strength and speed supe- 
rior to any other cloven-footed animal, while for food 
or milk they are equally valuable. Their growth 
is very rapid, and they are easily kept in good, 
condition. Indeed, all the qualities which render 
the reindeer so indispensable to the inhabitants of- 
Lapland, are possessed by the elk. When domes- 
ticated, they become greatly attached to the locality 
in which they were reared, and the animals with 
which they have associated. A doe which had been 
reared by our family with a cow, was taken twenty 
four miles from home to stay with another tame elk. 
After staying there a month, the fence being left* 
down it escaped and started for home, leaving an » 
animal of its own species for those with which it had 
been accustomed to associate. It was -ten days in 
coming home, stopping in every corn-field until 
driven out by the dogs. The men seeing it was a tame 
one did not molest it, and it arrived home in safety 
When it met the cow which was its foster-mother, 
it manifested the greatest joy, and ever after kept 
near her, jealously driving away any other animal 
that approached. 

When the first snow of winter comes, the elk 
paws it away and feeds upon the grass and .herbage 
under it. When the snow becomes deep and crusted 
so that they cannot get at the grass, they browse 
upon a small tree called elk-wood. This tree or . 
shrub never grows more than five inches in diameter, 
and generally not as large. It has a scraggy topi 
and is easily reached and pulled down by the elk. 



f 



THIRTY TEAKS A HUNTER. 



This shrub must not be confounded with the one 
sometimes called moose-wood, which has a very 
tough, fibrous bark, and the proper name of which 
is leather-wood. When the elk-wood is scarce, they 

I eat the twigs of basswood, elm, hickory or white ash. 

PSi severe storms they seek sheltered places, under 
rocks, the points of hills, or in hemlock thickets. A 
favorite resort for them is in places where old trees 
have been blown down, and a thick second growth 
of underbrush has sprung up. In the spring they 
scatter through the woods, alone or in pairs, seeking 
the heads of small streams, and other localities 
where the^oung feed first begins to start. Before 

x the axe -of 'the settler had leveled the forests in 
which they ranged, their most frequented resorts in 
the interior of Pennsylvania were between the Alle- 
gany and the Susquehannah, and on the west side 
ot the north braneh of the Susquehannah, from the 
Loyaisock Creek to the New York state line. I 
have found them most numerous in the western part 
of Lycoming and the eastern part of McKean coun- 
ties, on the head waters of the Susquehannah and 
the Allegany. 

The elk is tne lord of the forest in which he 
ranges^ no animal inhabiting the same localities be- 
ing able to conquer him. Terrific combats some- 

< times ensue among themselves, and I have often 
found them dead in the woods, with deep wounds 
mad e hxr thp antlers of their antagonists. 



CHAPTER XII. 

ELK AND BEAR HUNTING IN WINTER 

In hunting elk in the winter, if the ice was strong 
enough, we would go up the creek in sleighs ; but if 
it was too weak for that purpose we would take a 
hand-sleigh to carry our necessaries. It was usual 
for two or three of the party to go together; one 
staying along the river and watching, while the 
others went in search of tracks, and when they fouud 
one, followed it, and alarming the elk, it would gene- 
rally make for the rocks on the bank of the creek, 
where, being stopped by the dogs, we could shoot 
them. Sometimes, after they had received a shot, 
they would fall fifty or sixty feet down the bank to 
the creek or towards it. When we shot them some 
distance from the creek, we took out their entrails, 
and sprinkled powder or sulphur around, to keep off 
the wild animals, and left the elk there with its skin 
on, until we could procure a horse to draw it to the 
river. 

Bear-meat, at that time, brought a much higher 
price than elk-meat ; bear-oil and bear-skins were also 
in great demand. The skins sold for from four to ten 
dollars. If we saw a bear track when we were in 
pursuit of elk, we would always leave the elk and 



THIRTY YEARS A HUXTER. 125 

follow the bear. From the middle of January until 
July we did not make a business Of hunting bears 
or elk. In our winter hunts we used to go to the 
Round Islands, and be gone from three to six days, 
killing, in that time, from six to eight elk. Some- 
times we would kill three or four bears in one hunt. 
We seldom failed in killing a bear after having found 
the track. The dogs would either drive them up a 
tree or stop them. We owned three well-trained dogs. 
If we put them on a track they would not leave it 
for any other; they would always come when we 
called, and never go until we gave the word. When- 
ever a bear crossed the creek, the dogs always fol- 
lowed ; if the water was too deep for us to wade 
through, we had to construct a float on which to cross, 
always keeping up the pursuit with success. If the 
guns missed fire the dogs would manage to stop the 
bear ; they would not give up the chase unsuccess- 
fully. I have known them to tree a bear and remain 
by it two days. During the three years that we lived 
at that place we never lost one after we came up with 
it. The one that killed the first of any kind of ani 
mal was to have the skin. 

My brother killed from twenty-five to thirty elk 
and twenty to twenty-five bears each year. I did not 
kill as many. I usually killed from ten to twenty 
bears, and one season 1 killed thirty-five elk. By 
fire-hunting, hunting in the woods, and by hounding 
deer, my brother has taken as many as seventy in a 
season. When the deer were fat, which was about 
the last of October, we depended a great deal tm 

•n 



126 PIONEER LIFE *, OR, 

hounding them. About break of day we would send 
a dog out after a deer ; when he found one he would 
drive it towards the creek where some of us were sta- 
tioned to shoot it. If the deer should happen to cross 
the creek without our getting a shot, we let another 
dog after it on the other side, to drive it to the creek 
again. If a second deer came in sight during the 
chase we let another go after it ; and in this manner 
we have had all the dogs out at once. Sometimes a 
dog would drive one deer to the creek, and sometimes 
he would bring in two, a doe and her fawn, or a doe 
and a buck. The three dogs have, in this manner, in 
one chase, brought in five deer. In that locality, I 
killed, in one season, from the time we first began to 
lire-hunt, in June, until the middle of January, forty- 
seven deer. During one season, my brother killed, 
of bears, elk and deer, nearly two hundred. The 
greatest number that I killed, in any one season, of 
the same kind of animals, was about one hundred 
and thirty. 

In the month of June, 1801, my father with his 
family removed to a more settled part of the country, 
twenty-two miles down Pine Creek, near the west 
branch of the Susquehannah and within six miles of 
it. We took up our residence in an old barn, which 
was partly occupied by another family. I thought I 
had left all my hunting ; but we had been there but 
a short time when we were told that a bear was mak- 
ing havoc among the sheep, hogs, etc., in the neigh- 
borhood, and that he was as large as a cow. My 
father had retained only two rifles, one for himself 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 127 

and one for me, and kept but two of the hunting 
dogs, as he did not expect to hunt much down there. 
One day, just as we had arisen from dinner, we heard 
a hog squealing, and our neighbors informed us that 
the bear had seized another hog. I took my gun, and 
accompanied by one dog, started out to kill him. He 
was about one hundred rods off, walking on his hind 
i'eet with his back towards me, his fore paws firmly 
embracing the nearly dead hog, which weighed one 
hundred and forty pounds. He looked back occa- 
sionally as I approached him, and when I was within 
seventy yards of him, he dropped the hog and turned 
toward me, standing erect, and making, at the same 
time, a noise peculiar to the animal. I raised my 
gun, and taking aim at a white spot on his breast 
where the hair was parted, sent the ball through his 
heart. About the middle of August, we were reap- 
ing wheat on an island that my father owned, three 
fourths of a mile above our residence, when a boy, 
who had been procuring water at a spring on the 
main land, informed me that he had seen three bears 
crossing the creek above. Taking my rifle, which I 
always had with me when I went to work, I immedi- 
diately started in pursuit, and soon had the satisfac- 
tion of shooting the largest of the three, but the 
others escaped, and I did not think it worth while to 
follow them. 

About the middle of September, when the corn was 
sufficiently large for roasting, the bears were in the 
habit of coming to the island for it ; we therefore took 
a number of poles sixteen feet long, placed them in 



128 pioxei:r life ; or, 

the ground, and connecting the ends at the top 
secured them firmly with bark. A Dutchman, who 
was in my company, thatched it from bottom to top 
with rye straw, so that when finished, it had the 
appearance of a stack of straw. This house was for 
the purpose of concealing ourselves and dogs when 
the bears came to the island, so that we could surprise 
them suddenly. The first night we both watched, but 
did not kill anything. The next night the Dutchman 
watched alone and succeeded in killing a large bear. 
He asked me to watch with him the following night, 
which I refused to do, and he watched alone, but did 
not see any game. The next night I again refused 
to watch with him, it being Sunday. He said it was 
not best to let the bears eat the corn, and desired me 
to let him have my dog. I told him to let them have 
a little corn on Sunday. He watched but did not 
kill any. Three days afterwards he told me that he 
had not seen any signs of bears, but that the racccons 
were troubling us ; accordingly I watched with him, 
and we killed two in the evening and four at break 
of day. Our dogs would seize them and we would 
knock them in the head with a tomahawk, or take 
them by the tail and dash their heads against a tree. 
We did not watch again for some time 

One night my father said there was every appear- 
ance of raccoons having been in the fields. The 
Dutchman and I went out to hunt them, but returned 
unsuccessful. Sometime after that, he said he had 
seen the tracks of a large bear, which had torn down 
considerable corn, and as he exnected the bear would 



THIRTY TEARS A HUNTER. 129 

return, he asked me to go with him and watch, but I 
declined doing so. He watched alone, undisturbed 
by the bear. 

At this season, the bears subsisted principally on 
the chestnuts and acorns which were then ripening ; 
so I told the Dutchman that if we hunted any more 
for bears we would go into the woods, as they gene- 
rally laid still when there were nuts to eat. He coin- 
cided with me. A few weeks after that, another bear 
commenced his ravages among the corn which was 
in stacks ; they would pull them down, making great 
havoc. The Dutchman and I pursued him with the 
dogs, came up with him, and the dogs worried him 
so that when he came to a fence he was unable to get 
over. We called them off and allowed him to pass 
over and go about half way across the stream be- 
tween the island and main land, when we let our 
dogs go again. They caught him as he was leaving 
the water, and soon treed him. We did not dare to 
to fire at him until morning, for should we only 
wound him he would come down and kill our dogs. 
I returned home, but Hans remained all night and at 
day-break shot the bear. 

A few weeks after, we had a slight fall of snow, 
and I went out after bears, but found none, though 
I killed two deer; I skinned them and hung the 
venison up on such small poles that the bears could 
not climb, and out of reach of the wolves. About 
ten days after, more snow having fallen, we went out 
again, but returned home unsuccessful, and hunted 
no more until July, when the bears again commenced 



130 PIONEER LITE ; OK, 

their depredations by killing a calf belonging to one 
of our neighbors, after which they killed several hogs. 
At that time the bears were traveling from the west 
to the east. The Dutchman and myself started out 
after the first and killed three which we had driven 
up a tree. By the first of August we had killed six. 
We did not hunt any except when they killed the 
hogs and sheep. On the tenth of August I went 
twenty-two miles up the creek to haul logs. We had 
to load them in the creek, near what was called a 
bear run-way. At this time th# bears were going 
from the east to the west, and as they all crossed the 
creek at the same place, they stepped in the same 
track, so that it had the appearance of being the 
track of but one bear. Occasionally when there were 
three or four bears together, I would go down 
towards where they crossed and throw stones and 
clubs to drive them back ; but I could never make 
them return up the hill ; they would always go down 
the stream a short distance, and so gain the opposite 
slwre, then come back on the bank to the old track. 
Every time I saw a bear I marked it down, and in a 
month I counted forty-three. I then went home, but 
returned to work again in about four days. The first 
bear that I saw after my return was a very large one 
— about as large as a common sized cow, and the 
largest I ever saw. I thought I would see what I 
could do with him ; so I waded into the water about 
knee deep, and commenced throwing stones at him. 
He paid no attention to them or me either, but kept 
on his course the same as though I had not been 



THIRTY YEARS A IICNTER. 131 

there. I was just beginning to think of retreating, 
when I thonght I would throw one more ; picking 
up a large stone, 1 threw it and hit him on the fore- 
head. He raised himself on his hind feet, uttered a 
savage growl and rushed furiously towards me. 1 
ran to the logs, caught up my axe and sprang upon a 
pair of timber wheels, which were eleven feet high. 
Before springing upon the wheels I looked around 
and saw him close at my heels. I raised my axe, in- 
tending to plunge it into his brain ; but in the excite- 
ment missed my aim, and the handle struck his feet, 
which caused him to give another cry of pain. I was 
now on the wheels, and took off my hat and shook it 
at him, causing him to step back a little. I saw 
death staring me in the face. I knew their nature so 
well, and knew that if he got hold of me, he would 
not relinquish his hold until I was dead ; but soon he 
began to move slowly off, looking around every few 
steps to observe my movements. When he had gone 
about two rods I started the oxen, which were hitched 
to the timber wheels, with a log loaded. As soon as 
I saw the bear strike the trail I got off and hastened 
to my brother's house, where I lived, to procure a 
gun. lie had frightened me worse than I ever was 
before or since, and I wanted to take revenge. The 
house was a little more than half a mile distant, and 
1 reached it in a very short time. When I arrived 
there, my sister inquired why I looked so pale, and 
if I was sick? 1 told her ; and taking my gun, toma- 
hawk, and a hunting knife, started in a direction to 
strike the trail about half a mile from the river, in 



132 pioneer life; or, 

hopes of meeting the gentleman and giving him a 
proper reception, bnt when I reached the river I 
found that lie had passed. During the next six 
weeks they were not molested, and in that period I 
saw sixty-three, and my brother thirty-three, making 
ninety-six that were seen crossing, besides those that 
probably crossed unobserved. About the tenth of 
October they commenced crossing from the west to 
the east, making a trail across my father's island, 
which was planted to corn in five fields of ten acres 
each. The Dutchman and I made another house 
between the bank and a root, which served for two 
sides, of the house. The first night we watched we 
wore unsuccessful, and did not make another attempt 
for several nights. At length the Dutchman, another 
man and myself went out to watch. Three times 
in the night they rose and went out to look for them, 
but without succcess. Just at break of day I awoke, 
went to the door, and saw a bear coming. Taking 
my gun and dog I stole out cautiously, leaving the 
others sleeping soundly. The dog gave chase, and 
stopped him as he had crossed the island and was 
about to plunge into the stream on the opposite side. 
Here was an abrupt bank of about eight feet, and as 
the bear attempted to descend this the dog would 
seize him and he would turn upon the dog. When 
I came up, the bear plunged off the bank, followed 
by the dog, which continued to worry him in the 
water. Seizing a moment when the bear turned to 
face the dog, I fired, killing him instantly. The men 
in the hut, hearing the report of my gun, ran out 



THIRTY TEARS A HUNTER. 133 

to see wnat was my success, but I drew the bear 
under the bank, where it could not be seen, and 
moved off a short distance. When they approached 
me, they asked me what I had shot. I replied that I 
guessed it was some one below. Tb'ey did not 
believe this, but told me they thought I had killed a 
bear. I told them to come and see, leading them to 
where I had left my booty. 

About two weeks after the last occurrence, a boy 
belonging to a neighboring family came to us saying 
that there were three bears in one of their corn-iieldsi 
pulling down the corn, and requested me to come 
and kill them. I accordingly took my gun and rode 
over there. The old man and woman were mounted 
on stumps, watching the depredations of their unwel- 
come visitors, all three of which I dispatched without 
much difficulty. In two days I killed two more 
while they were crossing the creek. I now hunted 
until the middle of December, killing fourteen bears, 
and seventeen deer. "When the ground was covered 
with snow I took a dog with me and treed them. 
When there was no snow I generally found them on 
the ground eating acorns and chestnuts. In February 
I was 9hown the tracks of two bears, which I flowed 
to a hole in the rocks, in which they were concealed. 
The man who accompanied me went into the hole 
with a pole about twelve feet long, on the end of 
which was a lighted match. He penetrated as far as 
was prudent, threw in the match with all his force, 
and then hastened out. After waiting some time 
in vain for the bears to make their appearance, we 

19 



134 pioneer life; or, 

•both went in with a lighted match and a gun. After 
going in gome distance, we found the opening so 
narrow that it was very difficult to proceed, and we 
threw in the match and beat a retreat. In about 
fifteen minutes we heard a rustling in the cave, and 
calling to my companion to stand clear, I stationed 
myself where I could shoot them as they emerged. 
As the first one made his appearance at the entrance, 
I fired, and he fell dead. The other one rushed out 
over him, and during the delay of reloading my gun, 
he obtained quite a start of me. I set the dog after 
him, and after chasing him two miles, he ran up a 
tree, and I shot him. This was the last I killed until 
the first of May, when I shot one which was very 
large and fat, having been but a short time out of 
its winter quarters. We estimated that it would 
weigh five hundred pounds. In June I shot one that 
was carrying off a hog. I hunted no more for about 
three years. 

In 1 800 I removed to Black Walnut Bottoms, and 
•the next year I went fire-hunting, accompanied by a 
man named Clark. We pushed up the creek about 
&ve miles, when we made a fire and lay there until 
midnight. There was another party below us which 
'had hunted down the river since nine o'clock without 
success. We started about half-past twelve o'clock. 
J sat in front for the first three miles, killing nothing, 
when I exchanged places with Clark. He had been 
seated ibrward but a short time when he said that 
he saw twenty deer, he could count them by their 
eyes. He observed that they were very long-legged, 



THIRTY TEARS A HUNTER. 135 

and held their heads remarkably higb, for deer. As 
we floated nearer them we discovered that they were 
elk. "We both leveled our rifles to fire together, but 
tne smoke from the torch blew into my face so that I 
could not see to take aim. Clark fired, however, and 
one of the elk leaped from the water, and fell heavily 
to the earth. Then ensued a scene which I shall 
never forget. The frightened animus rushed to the 
shore, and seeing their shadows on the bluff bank, in 
the flickering light of our torch, took them for new 
enemies, and turned again iuto the water, roaring so 
that the very earth seemed to tremble. They dashed 
down the stream, a few rods, clashing their hoofs 
and antlers together, then turned and again went to 
the shore a short distance below us. During the whole 
time I was so blinded by the smoke that it was im- 
possible to use my rifle with any effect. As they 
approached the bank they were again frightened by 
the immense shadows moving in front of them, and 
dashing again into the water, they struck for the 
opposite shore. We lay directly in the course they 
took, and in the rush two of them leaped over the 
canoe between Clark and myself, and a third ran 
against one end and overturned it. The light being 
extinguished, there was nothing to excite their fears, 
and they all ascended the bank, and made off. The 
water into which we were precipitated was but about 
three feet deep, and we reached the shore without 
difficulty. We then righted our canoe and proceeded 
to bail out the water with our hatg. As it was a 
very large one, this was a work of much labor. Our 



136 pioneer liee; OB, 

f ncxt object was to procure dry wood and make a 
fire, which, as the rain was now falling quite hard, 
was no easy matter. When Clark stepped upon the 
shore, he was met by the warning note of a large 
rattle -snake which lay coiled up at his feet. He 
returned to the canoe and proposed to float down to a 
more favorable place, but I told him I should not go 
farther in our present plight. I made the next at- 
tempt to land, and met with a similar reception from 
another rattle-snake. I stepped to the canoe, pushed 
up the stream, and once more stepped ashore, beat 
ing about me with a stick to find whether there were 
snakes about, until I reached the top of the bank, 
which was there about ten feet high. On the top 
I found a half-decayed pine stump, which leaned 
over in such a manner that the lower side was dry. 
Calling to Clark, and informing him what I had 
found, I proceeded to set fire to it. Fortunately, my 
powder had kept dry, and in a few moments the 
stump was enveloped in a blaze. We then built a 
fire in our canoe, and pushed down the creek, arriv- 
ing at home about daybreak. I told Clark he might 
have the elk we had killed, if he would go after it. 

About ten days after, Clark and I started again on 
a fire-hunt. Pushing up the stream about seven 
miles, we turned and commenced floating down at 
nine o'clock. After proceeding about a mile, Clark, 
who sat forward, saw a large buck, a short distance 
ahead. He fired and wounded the animal, when it 
wheeled and attempted to plunge over the- canoe. 
Clark held up his hand to protect himself, which 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 137 

frightened him still more, and he sprang across the 
canoe, giving Clark a blow between the eyes, with 
its hind feet, which knocked him prostrate. I asked 
aim if he was hurt, and he replied that he was 
nearly killed. I pushed ashore as soon as possible, 
and took him out of the canoe. His face was bathed 
in blood, and presented a ghastly appearance. Upon 
washing away the blood I discovered that he was 
not as badly injured as I had feared. There was a 
severe contusion in the spot where he was struck, 
but the skin was not broken, and the blood had 
dropped from the wounded deer. I then went after 
the deer, which I found lying down, badly wounded, 
but not dead. I finished it by a ball through; the 
head, and dragged it to the canoe. We floated down 
a mile, when we saw a buck and doe eating moss. 
Clark fired, killing the buck, and the doe ran ashore, 
when, becoming frightened at her shadow, she 
leaped back toward the canoe. As she raised to 
spring over, I hit her on the nose with a paddle, and 
she fell back into the canoe, when I cut her throat. 
We then floated down, picked up our buck, and 
proceeded homeward with three deer, one of which 
had not cost us even a shot. 

About the first of the next December, I went on a 
bear- hunt, accompanied by a man named Hamlin. 
We soon treed and killed a large bear, which we 
dressed and hung up. In a short time we met two 
more, one of which we killed. We returned home, 
and the next morning started with a horse to convey 
home our bears, and before we reached thorn we 
• : V2 



133 PIONEER LIFE ; OR 

killed another. This made a load lor our horse, and 
we accordingly started at once for home, and the 
next day went for the first two. When we had 
loaded them and proceeded a short distance, we 
killed another, which we were compelled to leave 
and return for the next day. 

About the middle of July, 1805, Morrison, Francis 
and myself were out on a hunt. Going up the creek 
about five miles, we commenced floating down, and 
soon shot a deer, which we stowed away in our 
canoe. When we had gone a short distance farther, 
two of us saw a deer in the stream, and both fired at 
the same time, but neither appeared to hit it. We 
re-loaded and directed the man who was steering t« 
run the canoe to the shore. We then stood on the 
shore, about thirty rods from the deer, and each 
fired eight shots at it, as rapidly as we could load, 
when our guns became so hot that we were compelled 
to stop. The steersman had been holding up the 
torch^for us to see by, yet the position of the animal 
was the same as when first observed. At each shot 
it had seemed to spring up, each time higher and 
higher, and dropping into the same spot. We now 
threw sticks at it, to drive it away, when it gave two 
or three leaps, and suddenly disappeared. This 
affair may appear somewhat strange to the reader, 
as it did to me, but the facts arc as I have stated, 
and alwavs appeared to me unaccountable. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

HUNTING ON THE CLARION RIVER. 

In November, 1817, William Gibson, Joseph Hook 
and myself started for the head waters of Kenzua 
Creek and Clarion River, to capture and bring home 
a live elk. The}' were to defray all the expenses 
and own one-half the elk when caught. They hired 
an Indian named George Silverheels, to assist, pay- 
ing him a dollar a day. On arriving at the head 
waters of the Kenzua, we built a camp. Hook and 
myself then went to look for elk-tracks, leaving the 
others at the camp to cook provisions. About four 
miles northeast of the camp we found the tracks of 
quite a herd, which we followed for a mile and a 
half, when we found where twenty-nine had lain in 
the snow. We concluded to return to the camp, but 
it soon became dark, and we-found it very difficult 
to follow our track back. We arrived there about 
eleven o'clock, and informed them that we had 
tracked twenty-nine. I told Silverheels, in Indian, 
that I thought they were all middling-sized does and 
fawns, and did not think there was one we would 
wish to catch. The following day, each man carry- 
ing provisions for six days, we set out, accompanied 
by four dogs. About ten o'clock we reached the 



14:0 PIONEEPw LIFE*, OR, 

elk-beds. I told them that we should find them not 
more than two miles ahead, and proposed that one 
should go ahead and kill a couple of them, and the 
others remain behind with the dogs. They desired 
me to go and when I had proceeded ahout three, 
quarters of a mile I discovered about ten elk. I 
raised my rifle, but it had become wet in coming 
through the snow, and having a flint lock, would not 
go. I tried three times, when the elk became 
alarmed, and I waited for the others to arrive. I 
told Silverheels that my gun was wet, and if his was 
in order to follow with the dogs, and if they stopped 
the elk, to kill one. They all went on, leaving me 
to unbreech my gun. I worked at it about half an 
hour, unsuccessfully, when, as the snow was falling 
very rapidly, and I feared to lose the track, I started 
after the others, overtaking them about seven miles 
distant. I soon heard the barking of the dogs, and 
told Silverheels he had better go on ahead, while we 
would remain, lest so many should alarm the elk. 
When we heard the report of his rifle we went to 
him, and found that he had killed an elk. Silver- 
heels and myself continued on the trail, leaving the 
others to dress the elk and prepare a camp for the 
night. When we had proceeded three-quarters of a 
mile, we found one of the dogs and an elk which 
Silverheels shot. It was now quite dark, and we 
left it and went back to the others. They had 
stretched the skin of the elk across poles to form a 
shelter, but could not succeed in making a fire out- 
side, and were compelled to light one under the skin. 






THIRTY YEARS A HUNTEK. 141 

The snow was falling rapidly, which rendered it 
extremely difficult, and it was not until one o'clock 
that we finally succeeded. In the meantime we 
suffered severely from cold. At daylight the snow 
had fallen to the depth of four feet, and it was with 
much labor that we beat down the snow sufficiently 
to procure wood. We were unable to reach the elk 
which we had left out, until the second day, when 
we dressed and brought it into the camp. We 
remained there three days, drying our venison, and 
tramping down the snow, but were unable to go 
a great distance from the camp. The fourth day it 
thawed sufficiently to settle the snow a few inches, 
and we left our camp, and after toiling through the 
snow all day, encamped at night seven miles from 
our starting-place. The following day we traveled 
nine miles farther, reaching our old camp. We re- 
mained here three days, waiting for a thaw. I told 
the others that I thought we might find two or three 
large elk near where we had started the small ones. 
Silverheels and Gibson objected to the idea of going 
after them in the snow, but Hook consented to go 
with me. The following day we went four miles, 
and found the tracks of three large elk, which had 
passed the day before. We followed them half a 
mile, and found them on the side of a hill, eating 
moss. They were large, noble animals, and each 
one would have been worth five hundred dollars if 
we could have taken them. We thought it best not 
to attempt this, without the rest of the party and 
the dogs, and accordingly returned without disturb- 



142 pioneer life; or, 

ing them, reaching the camp about nine o'clock, 
greatly fatigued. Gibson and Silverheels awoke on 
jour arrival, and inquired what luck. Hook replied 
that we had started three fine elk, worth five hun- 
dred dollars each. Upon this they became quite 
animated, and Gibson said he would chase them two 
weeks, if necessary to catch one. I told him he 
might follow them a month without taking one, if 
the dogs would not go. The next morning all set 
out, and at eleven o'clock arrived at the place where 
we had left the elk, when I went on in advance j 
the others following at the distance of a hundred 
yards. I soon saw the elk, and h. r1 ted till the others 
came up. They loosed the dogs, but it was difficult 
for them to run through the deep snow, and tl e elk 
gained upon them. I said it was useless for us to 
make any farther attempt, as the dogs would soon 
return ; but the others were eager to follow them, and 
my objections were overruled. We followed them 
three miles, when two of them struck off to the west, 
the other keeping on a straight course, with the 
dugs after it. After going another mile the dogs 
returned. It was now between three and four 
r o'clock, and we were all heartily discouraged. Sil- 
verheels said it was useless to go farther, as the dogs 
would not go through the deep snow, which I had 
told them before. They asked me what I thought it 
best to do. I told them that as it was near night, 
we had better make a hemlock shanty, and stay 
there over night, which we did, and passed the night 
very comfortably. In the morning theyjagain asked 



THIRTY YKAR8 A HUNTER. 143 

my opinion about our next movements, and I told 
them we could do nothing until the snow had settled 
so that the dogs could run. We returned to our 
camp and waited two days for a thaw, but the wea- 
ther became colder, and we concluded to go home. 
"When we had arrived within six miles of Kenzua, 
'xibson gave out, and could go no farther. We 
made him a fire, and when we reached the settle- 
ment, we sent back a man and horse to bring him 
in. This was the second time that I failed to take 
an elk alive, after having attempted it, and in this 
case we should have probably succeeded, had we not 
been prevented by the deep snow. 

In August, 1820, I left Kenzua Flats, in company 
with John Campbell and Robert McKean, for the 
head waters of the Susquehannah River, to take an 
We hired two Indians, named Morris Ilalftown 
and John Geebuck, with a packhorse, to assist us. 
L had never taken an elk alive, in summer, but with 
good dogs I thought we might, as they would be 
most likely to flee to a creek or * er. I had killed 
many that I might have caught if I had attempted 
it. We encamped the first night on a small stream 
flowing into the Kenzua, seventeen miles above the 
Kenzua Flats. The following day Campbell, myself, 
and the two Indians went to look for elk-tracks, each 
taking a different direction, leaving McKean to keep 
camp, take care of the horse, and cook. We all 
returned at twelve o'clock, as had been agreed upon 
except Halftown, who came in about half-past one, 
having, about nine miles from the camp started seven 



144: pioneer life; ok, 

doe elk and fawns, and killed one of them. We all 
went to secure the one he had killed, arriving there 
about dark. Campbell and the two Indians skinned 
the elk, while McKean cut wood, and I went in 
search of water. When I returned they had dressed 
the elk, and we cut up and salted it in the skin. The 
following day Halftown and Qeebuck went down 
Stump Creek to look for signs of elk. If they found 
the tracks of large ones they were to return and 
inform us, but if small they were to follow and kill 
some. They took a supply of salt, with which to 
cure the meat of any they might kill at a distance 
from the camp. Campbell, McKean and myself 
made a scaffold upon which to dry our meat, and 
when done we spread out the meat, and Campbell 
and myself went to hunt a camping-ground near 
a large lick, leaving McKean to dry the venison. 
We found a suitable place about half a mile above 
the lick, where we built a camp. The following 
morning we returned to where we had left McKean, 
loaded the horse with our dried venison, and waited 
until noon for the Indians to come in, when, as they 
had not arrived, we marked our road so that they 
could find us, and went to the other camp. The 
Indians joined us that evening. They had seen 
some signs of elk, that had passed some days before, 
but no fresh ones. The next morning they again 
departed in the direction of the Susquehannah and 
Stump Creek, to look for elk, and should they find 
does or small bucks they were to kill as many as 
as possible. Campbell and myself started with 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 145 

three days provisions and two dogs, leaving McKean 
in the camp to take care of the horse. We went 
south toward tbe head of the Tionesta, and about 
three o'clock came where two bucks had passed the 
day before. Judging by the tracks they were about 
three years old. They were heading toward the lick 
near which we had encamped. We followed till 
evening, and encamped on the trail. Next morning 
after going four miles we found them. We let loose 
the dogs, and they went off after the elk at a rapid 
rate, heading toward the Kenzua. We followed as 
fast as possible, thinking to catch one of them in 
some deep hole in the creek. We kept on the track 
to the creek, found that the elk had gone down the 
stream, sometimes in the water and sometimes on the 
shore. We followed on for two miles, when we met 
our dogs returning. It being a very warm day, we 
returned, discouraged, to our camp near the elk lick. 
I told Campbell that with six dogs, if they were not 
better than these, we could not catch an elk, as they 
would not keep on the track. When we arrived at 
the camp, we found the Indians there, but the horse 
had strayed away. It was now Saturday night, and 
Campbell said that he did not wish to hunt horses 
on the Sabbath. I said that it was not a day for 
such business, but in this case I considered it a work 
of necessity, as he might stray so far before Monday 
as to be lost beyond recovery. I offered to go with 
the Indians, and leave the other two at the camp. 
We started early the following day, and when we 
had gone a short distance I directed Halftown to 

13 



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arrived at a place wbere some tree? had been pffkd 
by wi rtown knew the creek to be the math 

f the Kenzna, ai.d that he and his 
father had peeled that bark tw m before, and 

anty. in which they had wintered. 
We encamped here for the night, and in the morn- 
ing revived to give up the pursuit and retnrn hone, 
think .able that Campbell and Gee- 

back had done so. We arrive i at Kenzna at the 
same time with Campbell and Geebuck, but the 
been found. We went to Campbell's 
~e took dinner and settled onr affairs, 
after which we sent the Indians back to the camp 
for onr meat, cooking utensil= We paid 

r the h ch with the provisions, 

wage* of the Indians, and loss of onr own time made 
tal loss one hundred an! twenty-six dollars, 
being forrr-t wo dollars ea; ... IfcFryji ad agreed, 
in case wc : secure an elk, to assist me in 

building, half r each : !Qm great 

of the failure of our exped: the want 

I will i: ription of the pi 

^rren to Oiean, on the 
ile of th re 1 one hunted elk, bears. 

panthers and My first elk-hunting in this 

n was in 1S16. and I continued it for five years. 
During this time I traveled over every part c : 
section oi .vania ar.i New York, and became 

familiar with the com. een the Allegany and 

Susquehannah. In a circuit of ten miles around the 



148 pioneer life; or, 

head of the Tionesta, I thought the pine timber was 
better than in any other part of the region I have 
mentioned. The timber region commenced about 
seven miles from the Allegany river, two miles 
above Warren. The southeast branch heads in a 
good farming country, covered with beech, maple, 
chestnut, and some scattering wild-cherry trees, 
some of which latter measured three feet in diame- 
ter, and not a branch within fifty feet of the ground. 
Here were also white-wood trees, four feet in diame- 
ter, with the lower limbs sixty feet from the ground. 
The country around the mouth of the creek was 
covered with a magnificent growth of pine and oak. 
Hence to the head of Willow Creek is a good farming 
country, covered with oak, chestnut, beech, maple, 
and a sprinkling of pine, hemlock and wild cherry. 
Around the head of Tuneangwant creek and on the 
south side is also a good farming country. I never 
hunted on the north side, but have been told that it 
is as good a country for farming purposes as the south 
side. From the Quaker Run to the head of Tune- 
angwant, thence to Sugar Eun, Kenzua Creek, and 
on to the Tionesta, I have been familiar, and know 
it to be good farming land. On the north branch 
of the Kenzua I have seen indications of stone-coal 
and have no doubt there are large deposits of it in 
that vicinity, as well as around the head of Willow 
Creek. Six miles from the mouth of Kenzua Creek, 
on the north side, is good land for cultivation. Also, 
up Sugar Run, about the same distance from the 
Allegany, is a fine tract of land. East from the 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 149 

head of Stump Creek I think the land is not quite 
as valuble for farming as it is farther north, toward 
the state line, beyond which it is excellent From 
the source of Stump Creek the land is good for about 
ten miles, when the surface becomes very uneven, 
as it is near the river, on most of the streams. Be- 
tween the Keiizua and Stump Creek I have seen 
cherry trees from two to three feet in diameter, 
straight, and nearly sixty feet to the fir6t branch. 
White- wood is also interspersed through this region, 
of the finest quality, and growing to an immense 
size. Groves of smali cherry trees, from six to fif- 
teen inches in diameter, were quite numerous, and 
aiinUar groves of white ash were often met with in 
places where the first growth had been prostrated 
bv the wind. 



•13 



CHAPTER XIY. 

HUNTING AND TRAPPING. 

In November, 1821, in company with Walter Sea- 
man, John Campbell and George Morrison, I went on 
a general hunting expedition to catch elk, hunt bears, 
deer and panthers, and to trap foxes and sables. We 
hired a man named Goodwin, with a horse, to act as 
porter to the expedition, and Marshall Whitcomb as 
cook and camp-keeper.. We were six in all, in a 
double sleigh. Having gone about six miles we 
found the tracks of a panther. I told Seaman and 
Goodwin that I must go with the sleigh, and that 
they should follow the tracks, and if they did not 
come np with the panther in two or three miles to 
return and they would find me encamped at night 
about three mileu ahead. Campbell and Morrison 
were forward, and Whitcomb had charge of the dogs. 
Seaman and Goodwin took two dogs with them and 
followed the track, finding it nearly parallel with the 
road. They had proceeded but two miles when the 
panther came out from under some rocks. Seaman 
tired and brought him down. I heard the gun and 
led out to them. They answered, and soon I saw 
them drag out a very large panther, weighing about 
i hundred pounds, and place it on the sleigh. 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 151 

Proceeding on we found Morrison and Campbell 
making a fire for us ; they had not killed anything. 
We there encamped for the night and arranged our 
hunting matters. The next morning Morrison hunted 
on the north side of the road, Seaman on the south 
side and I went on in the road, telling them that I 
would stand as good a chance as either of them. We 
were all to meet at four corners about seven miles 
beyond and encamp that night. Three miles ahead 
was an open beech woods on the side of a hill down 
which the road passed ; and in the road, at the bottom 
of the hill, trotting along towards me, I saw nine 
wolves. I stepped behind a large beech tree and 
waited their approach. A large tree with the leaves 
on had fallen across the road about twenty rods from 
me, and the wolves came up and stopped behind it, 
so that I could but partially see one of them. I fired 
at him and he rolled over once or twice and then got 
up and ran west. I followed him, but he would skulk 
around in the tops of fallen trees and thickets. I 
fired at him three times at a great distance but did 
not succeed in killing him. I followed him until 
three o'clock in the afternoon and it was night before 
I arrived at the place where I first shot at him. Then 
I had seven miles further to go after dark to our en- 
campment at the four corners, which I reached about 
eleven o'clock, very tired. During the night snow 
fell ten inches deep, and of course covered the wolf's 
tracks, which prevented me from following him the 
next day, when I should probably have found him 
dead. During the day Goodwin returned to Kenzus 



152 PIONEER LIFE J OE, 

with the horses and sleigh, and was to come back 
with but one of the horses. That morning Morrison 
and Whitcomb set forty sable traps, called dead-falls ; 
they were so constructed that when the sable came to 
eat the bait a small log would fall and kill him. 
Seaman, Campbell and myself, with two dogs, went 
forth on a hunt. We crossed the Kenzua, and going 
south about twelve miles, found the fresh tracks of a 
large sized elk, which we followed one mile and 
found its bed of the night previous* We remained 
y/ith the dogs, and Campbell went ahead about a 
hundred rods, when he saw a fine buck elk. He 
called to us to let the dogs go ; we did so, and the 
elk ran north toward Smethport, about nine miles, 
and stopped on a rock. A deer pursued by two 
wolves, passing near the rock, so frightened our dogs 
that they left the elk and made for the camp. When 
we arrived and saw the wolves tracks we mistook 
them for those of our dogs, thinking they had gone 
after the deer. We followed down the creek eleven 
miles to a settlement, and inquiring for the dogs, were 
told that two wolves had brought in a deer,, but that 
they had not seen any dogs. We could not credit 
this story, and searched until three o'clock, think- 
ing that the inhabitants had concealed them. Sea- 
man and Campbell returned to the camp, leaving 
me to keep up the search for the dogs. The next 
day I went up Potato creek, where a man said he 
had seen a handsome black hound, which I thought 
must be ours. All day I searched for the dogs up 
ihe creek, and passed the night twelve miles from 






THIRTY YEARS A HEKTEB. 153 

the settlement, still under the impression that the 
inhabitants had concealed them. The next day I 
went to Smethport, and there found a man who said 
there were people enough in the vicinity that would 
hide my dogs, I hired him to assist me in my search, 
but of course we were unsuccessful. I remained at 
Smethport that night, and the next day returned to 
the camp, but found no one there except the dogs 
that 1 had lost. I knew then that the wolves had 
frightened the dogs from the elk. In the evening 
the re&t of the party came in from hunting. I found 
that during our absence Morrison had killed three 
deer, and Whitcomb had caught ten sables ; Camp- 
bell and Seaman had also each killed a deer since 
they arrived. I inquired why they did not go elk 
hunting, as they had all the dogs with them ? Seaman 
replied that if the dogs had stopped twenty elk, they 
could not have caught one, for none but me could 
rope one. I said that perhaps they could and per- 
haps not, but it might be that I could not do so 
myself. I told them that they must prepare for 
another campaign. The next day I remained at the 
camp to bake bread, and the rest hunted. I baked 
it in the ashes, and having good success, finished by 
two o'clock. Then I took my gun and went about a 
mile and a half, and came to the tracks of seven "deer. 
I followed them half a mile and found the deer lying 
in a thicket. I got upon a log to see them, when a 
'arge doe jumped up. I fired and broke her shoulder 
blade. She ran, her fawn after her ; and by the time 
I had loaded my gun and was prepared to follow. 



154 PIONEER LIFE J CB, 

Seaman's dog, who had gnawed his rope and broke- 
loose, came up and put off on the track. I followed 
them about a mile, but it was so late that I returned 
to the camp, where I arrived at eight o'clock. The 
dog caught the deer and did not return for three 
days, but when he came he looked fat and sleek, 
having eaten the deer. When I arrived at the camp 
they inquired what luck I had. I told them that if 
it had not been for Seaman's dog, I would have had 
a fine doe, for I had wounded it and it could not 
have gone far before I should have shot it. 

I told them we must hunt for elk the next day, and 
that they must build another camp on the south 
side of the Kenzua, six miles from the main stream 
and twelve or fourteen from the old camp, as I did 
not believe there were any more elk on the west side 
of the creek, where we were now stationed. This 
they agreed to ; but thought that Goodwin (who had 
now got back with his horse) and Whitcomb had 
better go and make the camp, and the rest start 
immediately after elk. We took four dogs with us 
and were loaded with four days provisions. Crossing 
the Kenzua, we went southwest about twelve miles, 
and found the tracks of seven elk, which we followed 
three miles and then encamped for the night. The 
next morning we followed them five miles and found 
the fresh tracks of the same elk returning. I said it 
was no use to try to take one alive, for they were all 
does and young elk, and that we had better try to 
kill them. Morrison and Seaman said they wanted 
to be the ones to go on. So they went and we stayed 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 155 

behiud with the dogs. They were told to whistle if 
the elk saw them and run so that they could not get 
a shot, and we would let the dogs go. They had not 
gone more than a hundred yards when we heard them 
whistle. We let the dogs loose and they stopped 
the herd about a mile distant. Morrison and Seaman 
came up with them in a few minutes and shot three. 
After we had dressed them, Morrison and Seaman 
wished to take the dogs and attempt to kill one or 
two more, but I was afraid the dogs would not run, in 
consequence of having been fed too much. The four 
elk ran together about two miles, when three of them 
turned off to one side, and all the dogs but mine 
returned. The men followed the other dog and elk 
twelve miles, when they saw the dog lying down 
beside a large log, and supposed that he had lain 
down to rest, and of course thought the elk had gone 
on ; but when Morrison called to the dog, " Hunter, 
have you given out? he sprang over the log, gave a 
yelp and up jumped the elk. It was so tired, how- 
ever, that it did not go more than twenty rods before 
Morrison killed it. One of the men procured fuel 
whilst the other skinned the elk. They stretched the 
skin on poles, made a fire near it but passed a very 
uncomfortable night, as it snowed quite hard. The 
next morning, taking their elk skin with them, they 
started for the place where Campbell and myself had 
made quite a comfortable encampment, arriving 
about eleven o'clock. I told them I thought instead 
of having our new camping place on the Kenzua, we 
had better make it on a road called the Kittaning 



156 riONEER life; op 

road, as we should not have so far to carry our game, 
to which the others assented. Seaman then obtained 
permission to go home and remain about a week, and 
the following day we proceeded by way of the Kit- 
taning road, to our encampment near the Four 
Corners. On our road we found an old log house, 
which was built at the time the road was made. The 
roof had fallen in, but we decided to repair and 
make it our head quarters. Whitcomb had caught 
twenty-three sables, and Morrison had killed two 
deer. That night, for the first time in three weeks, 
our whole party was together. The following day 
Morrison and Seaman went home, and the remainder 
of us proceeded to the Kittaning block-house, which 
we fitted up for use. Next day Goodwin brought in 
the three elk which had been killed, and after dinner 
Campbell, Morrison and myself went to hunting, and 
"Whitcomb to set sable traps After hunting until 
the afternoon of the next day, we found the track of 
a single elk, which we judged to be a young buck. 
Wq followed it seven miles and then stopped for the 
night. The next morning we were early on the 
trail, and about ten o'clock we found the tracks 
quite fresh, and knowing the animal could not be 
far away, we let loose the dogs, which soon came up 
with him. He ran near our second camp, keeping 
a west course. In his course he passed a fox-trap 
which I had set several days before, and in passing, 
I discovered that a large fox was in the trap. I dis- 
patched him with my tomahawk, and left him in the 
trap. The elk, still keeping west, crossed two small 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 157 

branches of the Kenzua, and the Smethport road, 
and then, turning north, ascended a mountain, stop- 
ping on a rock about twenty-five feet high. We did 
not arrive until nine o'clock, when, on approaching 
the elk, I observed to my chagrin that it was a doe. 
I communicated my discovery to Morrison, who had 
the gun, and he shot her. We then went down to 
the Tuneangwant, and encamped. It was after mid- 
night when we had our arrangements completed, and 
soon after a furious storm of hail and snow set in 
which covered the earth, to the depth of two feet, 
before morning. The following day we skinned the 
elk, and hung up the meat where it was killed. We 
then remained there a day and a half, waiting for 
more favorable weather. 

The third day the weather became somewhat more 
propitious, and we set out for the camp at the Cor- 
ners, finding it very difficult traveling, as the snow 
was three feet deep. We arrived there about nine 
o'clock that .evening, nearly exhausted, from toiling 
through the deep snow. Campbell and Morrison 
were discouraged, believing it useless to attempt 
catching an elk while the snow was so deep, and the 
next morning we started for home, arriving at my 
house at Cold Spring late at night. The next day 
I returned to Kenzua, and offered Morrison and 
Campbell my share of every thing but the sable 
skins if they would bring home the meat and skins. 
They did not wish to go, and accordingly I went 
alone to the Kittaning block-house, where I found 
Seaman, Whitcomb and Goodwin, with forty sable 

14 



158 pioneer life; or, 

skins and the meat of four elk. The next day Whit- 
comb and Goodwin conveyed to Kenzua the meat of 
the fifteen deer we had killed, while Seaman and 
myself remained behind, resolved, if possible, to 
catch an elk. The next day at noon it began to thaw, 
and we set out with two of our best dogs, in search 
of tracks. We returned to our block-house that eve- 
ning. Seaman felt considerably disheartened and 
proposed that we should give up the hunt and go 
iiome. I could not abandon the idea of making one 
more effort, and to encourage my companion I told 
him of my success two years before, when I took 
two elk in less than a month, and received as my 
share three hundred and sixty dollars. This gave 
him new animation, and he said he would stick by 
me as long as there Was a * flake of snow to track 
them by. The following day, when we had proceed- 
ed about four miles we found some large tracks 
which had been made about the time of the hail- 
storm. We followed them until about three o'clock, 
when we concluded that they must have gone to the 
rocks at the head of Marvin's Creek, and decided 
to return to our block-house, and in the morning 
endeavor to strike the trail between that place and 
the creek. The next day we found the track about 
three o'clock, and followed until night when we 
made a comfortable camp. Our spirits for the past 
day had not flagged, and now that we seemed so 
near the object of our long and weary hunt, we felt 
impatient for the morning, feeling confident that we 
should secure our prize before another night. In- 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 159 

deed, we had already sold him in imagination, and 
each was counting on his share of the thousand 
dollars it might bring, while the lowest figure was 
not less than three hundred dollars. "We arose m 
the morning in high spirits, took a hasty breakfast, 
and by daylight were on the track. About eight 
o'clock the snow began to fall very rapidly, and soon 
obliterated every vestige of the trail. But the icy 
sheet did not lie colder upon the earth than it did 
upon our hopes. We followed on in the best way 
we could until noon, when it was impossible to pro- 
ceed farther, and we encamped. By night the wea- 
ther cleared up, and the cold became intense. The 
following night was the coldest one we experienced 
that winter. The next day we decided to return 
home. We proceeded to the Kenzua, which we 
descended on the ice to the Kittaning road about 
three miles from the Corners, and then went to our 
first camp, where we staid that night. We there 
struck a balance of the profit and loss of the expe- 
dition. The wages of the men amounted to thirty 
dollars; provision for ourselves and provender for 
the horse fifteen dollars; a dog had been lost which 
had cost ten dollars ; making the total expense fifty- 
five dollars, besides our time. Of the four partners 
to the expedition, two were out a month, and the 
other two five weeks, making in all one hundred and 
twenty-six days. The receipts were forty sable-skins 
and fifteen deer-skins at seventy-five cents each ; the 
panther's head brought a bounty of 6ix dollars, in 
all forty-seven dollars and forty-five cents; which, 



160 pioneer life; ok, 

with the venison, was all we obtained. The next 
day we returned home. On our arrival at Kenzua 
T gave my share of the venison and elk-skins in the 
woods to my partners, as I resided at such a distance 
that I did not think they would pay fur the trouble 
of conveying home. 

In October, 1823, in company with John Camp- 
bell, Marshall Whitcomb and a Mr. Whitmore, I set 
out from Kenzua, in a large canoe, of above three 
tons burthen, to hunt and fish down the Alle any. 
We took with us four dogs and a seine. At the Big 
Bend, three miles below Kenzua, we took seven 
barrels of fish of various kinds, among which were 
salmon, muskelonge, and some remarkably fine speci- 
mens of pike as well as white and yellow bass. We 
proceeded down to Glade Bun, two miles above 
Warren, where we caught two barrels of fish and 
killed a fawn and buck deer. At the village we 
caught another barrel of fish. At Dunn's Eddy, 
nine miles oelow Warren, we killed two deer, but 
took no fish. One of the deer was a spike buck — 
the antlers running up straight, without branches. 
Three miles below, at the residence of Robert 
Thompson, we caught two barrels of fish, among 
which were some immense muskelonge ; and also 
killed five deer. We then moved down about four- 
teen miles, to White Oak Shoot, where we shot two 
deer. Returning from our hunt, we again went to 
fishing with our seine, assisted by a resident there, 
named Daniel Jones, and three of his sons. Here 
we had a large haul, the weight of the fish being so 



THIRTY YEAES A HUNTER. 161 

great as to break the seine. The water being very 
clear, we conld see an immense number of fish in 
the seine; not less, as we judged, than thirty barrels. 
I jumped in where the water was three feet deep, 
and held one side of the seine, while Jones held the 
other , but in spite of all our efforts, two-thirds of 
the fish escaped. We secured, however, about ten 
barrels. The seine was so badly torn that it occu 
pied three of us nearly a day to repair it ; while so 
engaged Whitmore, Campbell and the boys went 
out with the dogs and killed three deer. On draw- 
ing the net again, the fish had all disappeared ; and 
we caught but twenty or thirty. At Horse Creek, 
seventeen miles below, we killed two deer. That 
evening I was at Oil Creek, three miles below, and 
there I heard that two men named Cams, had 
threatened, if we hunted any farther down the river, 
to shoot our dogs, tar and feather me, and then, if 
the others did not leave the vicinity, to treat them 
to a coat of the same. I told my informant that I 
should come down there and hunt, and give the 
Cams an opportunity of executing their threat, if 
they could ; but I thought it was .a game at which 
two could play. I considered their interference 
entirely uncalled for, unless I killed a deer on their 
own land. Mrs. Holiday, who kept a tavern for 
raftsmen, said they were ugly men, and ad7ised me 
to keep away, as she was unwilling to have an old 
customer injured. The next day the Cams went 
down to Franklin, five miles below their residence, 
and said that a man named Tome, and two others, 

•14 



162 pioneer life; or, 

were hunting down the river, killing all the deer, 
and that they would tar and feather him, kill his 
dogs and send him home, if he came any farther 
down. They asked a man named Thomas Hewling, 
who kept a tavern there, what sort of a man Tome 
was. Hewling said he was a good-natured sort of a 
man, but if they attempted any violence they would 
find trouble, as he was a stout, active man, and not 
easily frightened. Campbell was rather timid, and 
thought we had better leave the vicinity. I told 
him that I should hunt there one day, at least, to 
see what they would do. Whitmore went off with 
the dogs in search of deer, and I told them if they 
would hunt down the river to Franklin I would join 
them there at night. Whitmore proceeded to hunt 
on one side of the river, and I on the other, within 
fifty rods of the house of one of the Cams. Before 
I had been there a long time, Cams came out and 
asked if I was hunting in their vicinity. I replied 
that I was, as game was more abundant there than 
where I lived. He said that he would join me a 
short time, and I told him that I had no objection to 
his taking an equal chance with me. Whitmore 
killed a deer in the water, and drove another into 
the river which Cams shot, and we divided it equally 
with him. On our arrival at Franklin we found 
Campbell there, with a large buck which he had 
killed. The next day we killed in that vicinity three 
deer, the following another, and the next day two 
more, when we started homeward. While going 
home, the water was so high that we did not try to 



THIBTY YEABS A HUNTER. 



163 



fish, except in one place, when we obtained over one 
hundred fine salmon. We killed, during the hunt, 
sixty-seven deer. This was my last hunting expe- 
dition 




CHAPTER XV. 

THE BEAR ITS NATURE AND HABITS 

I have found the favorite haunt of bears to be in 
Lycoming county, above Pine Creek, on the head 
waters of Larry's Creek, and on the first fork of 
Pine Creek. I have also found them near the head 
of Kettle Creek, Cedar Run, and Young "Woman's 
Creek. In the month of August they were to be 
found traveling west, and crossing Pine Creek, twen- 
ty-four miles from the mouth, where they had a 
beaten road that might be followed fifteen or twenty 
miles. At that time the bears were lean and their 
skins were worthless, we did not, therefore wish to 
kill them. I have noticed that generally every sev- 
enth year the bears travel west in August, and return 
about the middle of October, but scattering wide 
apart and paying no attention to the path. I have 
also noticed that the winter succeeding the season 
in which they travel west is a very hard one. In 
severe winters ths bears retire to the holes that 
they last occupied, whether it is ten, thirty or sixty 
miles distant, and when started they go in a straight 
course, not stopping for mountains, rivers or other 
obstructions, and when one is seen traveling in a 
direct line, without stopping, it is pretty certain thai 



THIRTY TEAKS A HUNTER. 165 

he is on the way to his hole. In very open winters 
they remain but a week or two in their holes. In 
more severe winters when they lie long in their holes 
the usual method is to smoke them out. After 
ascertaining by the tracks, or by entering the holes, 
that they are within, a cloth is covered with a mix- 
ture of lard and sulphur, ignited and inserted on a 
pole as far possible. The fumes of the burning 
sulphur will soon drive forth any bears that may be 
concealed there, two or three, sometimes taking up 
their quarters in one den. It is well to have a dog 
along, as in case of there being more than one bear 
the dog will prove useful in driving one of them up 
a tree. I have mentioned this manner of hunting 
bears in another place, but as I am about explaining 
their nature and habits, it might not be out of place 
to repeat it here. Many suppose that the bear is 
constantly on the move, because seldom seen at rest. 
The reason of this is that when one who is not a 
hunter finds a bear, the animal has seen him first, 
and moves off, while he supposes that the bear was in 
motion before discovered The truth is that from 
the middle of May until the same time in August, 
the bear sleeps as much as any other animal. 1 
have seen them during the day sleeping by a log or 
among the brakes, and occasionally I have surprised 
and killed a bear while asleep, but not often, as they 
are worthless at this season. They are very vora- 
cious, and this often tempts them into the settle- 
ments for forage, and renders them an easy prey to 
traps and bear-houses. When he obtains sight or 



166 pioneer life; 01?, 

scent of any thing lie desires, x ae takes it, regard- 
less of traps, and thus falls an easy prey. I have 
described the manner of constructing bear-houses, 
in another chapter. When berries and nuts are to 
be found, he doe? not leave the woods, but in the 
absence of these he helps himself without ceremony 
to any sheep, calf or hog that may come within his 
reach. If a bait is hung even within a few rods of 
a dwelling, they will come for it, if they scent it. In 
one instance a bear took a hog weighing one hundred 
and fifty pounds from a sty within four rods of the 
dwelling. The bear came in the early part of the 
evening, and broke down the roof of the sty, the 
hog protesting so loudly against the proceeding that 
the man in the house heard his squeals, but suspect- 
ing the cause, he did not dare to venture out and 
face the bear, as he had no gun. About half an 
hour after, I passed the place, and the man informed 
me of what had occurred. I told him he should 
have attacked the bear with an axe, if he had no 
gun. He replied that he did not wish to risk him- 
self in such company, without a good weapon. On 
my way I passed the residence of a young naan 
whom I sent back with a gun. The two went in 
pursuit of the bear, and found him feasting on the 
hog, in a thicket, not more than twenty-five rods 
from the house. They fired and the bear rushed 
with a loud growl out of the thicket. Men and dogs 
took to their heels, but on visiting the spot in the 
morning the bear was found dead. He was very 
largo, and the skin was valuable, and as he had 



THIRTY TEARS A HUNTER. 167 

only made a beginning upon the hog, his hide and 
carcass more than* paid for the damage he had done. 
About the first of [November is the rutting season 
for bears, and at this time the old he-bears keep up 
a noise which may be heard a mile. 

They are very fond of honey, and when one finds 
a bee-tree, he will not rest until he has obtained 
the honey. Once while I was in the woods hunting 
I heard a noise like that made by a bear while in a 
tree after nuts. It seemed somewhat strange, as it 
was not the season for nuts, and after reconnoitering 
for some time, I discovered a bear high up on a 
dead pine tree, scratching and pawing at the wood 
very industriously. I resolved to ascertain the cause 
of his strange conduct, and seated myself, where I 
could see the performance. In about half an hour 
he had penetrated the shell, and thrusting in his 
paws he brought them out loaded with honey. The 
bees flew at him, stinging his head, paws and tongue. 
He rubbed his head with his reeking paws, but did 
not allow the stings to interrupt his feast for a mo- 
ment. He continued to gorge himself, and growl 
his impotent rage at his little tormentors, until I had 
witnessed enough, when I called loudly to him. He 
looked at me, but was so intent upon his repast that 
he paid but little attention. I repeated my call and 
swung my hat, when he comprehended the nature 
of the intruder, and letting go his hold he dropped 
to the ground, and made a precipitate retreat. I 
allowed him to move away unmolested, as the skin 
and flesh were worthless, it not being the season for 



168 pioneer life; OB, 

them, and I did not wish to kill him out of mere 
wantonness. The bear has an Instinctive fear of 
man, and unless wounded will always flee from his 
presence. When wounded they will fight with a 
desperation which renders it perilous to attack them. 
Once while out on a deer-hunt, my wanderings hav- 
ing led me to a grove of tall cherry-trees, I heard a 
crackling and rustling overhead. After looking and 
listening awhile I perceived a bear in a lofty cherry- 
tree, gathering the fruit, it being the season when it 
was ripe. He would break and drop to the earth the 
large limbs which were covered with fruit, watching 
each limb until it reached the ground, and if one 
lodged on a lower branch, he went down and liber- 
ated it. I observed his proceedings for fifteen or 
twenty minutes, and then concealing myself behind 
a tree, I called to him at the top of my voice If a 
sudden shock of an earthquake had prostrated the 
tree in which he was stationed, Bruin could not have 
experienced more astonishment than he exhibited at 
the sound of my voice, breaking the stillness of the 
forest. He raised himself erect upon his haunches 
and stood looking eagerly around with a ludicrous 
mixture of astonishment and defiance. I stepped 
out from my concealment, and again called, when, 
with a loud cry of terror, he slipped off the limb, 
but while still grasping it with his fore paws he 
looked to the ground. The tree leaned over a small 
precipice, and if he relinquished his hold he must 
fall at least a hundred feet. He hung there appa- 
rently balancing the matter in his mind, for a few 



THEBTV YEARS A HUNTER. T59 

minutes, when hia dread of man prevailed, and 
gradually relaxing his hold, he fell heavily to the 
earth, relied up like a ball Ke quickly recovered 
from the shock, and straightening himself out, he 
made the best possible use of his legs, and was soon 
out of sight I allowed hyn to escape unharmed for 
the same reason as the one last mentioned. With 
many I am aware this would not be considered suffi- 
cient reason for permitting a bear to escape, after 
having it in my power ; but I never wantonly killed 
an animal, when I could gain nothing by its destruc- 
tion. From October to May their skins are good, 
and at this season I always killed all I could. With 
a true hunter it is not the destruction of life which 
affords the pleasure of the chase ; it is the excitement 
attendant upon the very uncertainty of it which 
induces men even to leave luxurious homes and ex* 
po6e themselves to the hardships and perils of the 
wilderness. Even when, after a weary -chase, the 
game is brought down, he cannot, after the first thrill 
of triumph, look without a pang of remorse, upon the 
form which was so beautifully adapted to its situation, 
and which his hand has reduced to a mere lump of 
flesh. But with us, who made our homes in the wil- 
derness, there was a stronger motive than love of 
excitement for seeking out and destroying the deni- 
zens of the forest. We did it in obedience to the 
primal law of nature : for the subsistance or defence 
of ourselves and those whom we were oound by the 
ties of nature to support and defend. When neither 
of these demanded the destruction of an animal, J 



170 pioneer life; ok, 

never felt any desire to harm it. It is often danger- 
ous to meet an old she-bear with her cubs, although 
the old one will endeavor to escape with her young, 
but the simple creatures will often come directly up 
to a man when they meet him, and the enraged dam 
will attack him with a fury which leaves him no hope 
but in his weapon. If he attempts to flee, the cubs 
will follow him, which increases the rage of the old 
bear. A few years since, I was near the south bank 
of the Allegany river, in Cattaraugus county, New 
York, examining a road which had been made for 
drawing logs, when I observed three black animals 
approaching me, but thinking they were hogs, I paid 
no attention to them. When I again looked in the 
same direction they were but a short distance from 
me, and I perceived that it was a bear with two cubs. 
I was somewhat alarmed, as I knew the ferocity of a 
bear when with her young, but knowing there wa3 
no chance for flight, I seized a handspike and pre- 
pared to defend myself the best I could. As the 
bear came near she raised herself erect and advanced 
with open mouth. When she was within reach I 
prostrated her by a blow upon the back. She fell 
upon one of her cubs, injuring it severely. This 
enraged her still more, and she sprang up and again 
rushed at me. I struck her on the head, and she fell 
again. She rose and slowly retired with the wounded 
cub. The other cub ran off in another direction, and 
I attempted to capture it, but it continually eluded 
me just as I had it almost within my grasp. After 
chasing it nearly half a mile I finally succeeded in 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 171 

taking it by throwing ray coat over it. It was but 
little larger than a good-sized cat, and I carried it 
home in a basket which I borrowed of an Indian 
who lived in the vicinity. When a bear is attacked 
and wishes merely to act upon the defensive, it stands 
erect and with its fore-paws repels the attack. If it 
wishes to close in with an enemy, it grasps it with its 
fore-paws, while with its teeth and hind-paws it tears 
its victim in pieces. I know of but one animal rang- 
ing our forests which I think capable of defending 
itself successfully against a bear — that is a buck elk 
with full-grown antlers. I never knew of a contest 
between a bear and an elk, but I have no doubt the 
elk would prove more than a match. Bears seldom 
fight among themselves, and I never witnessed but 
one instance of a conflict between two of them. It 
was in November, a light snow lay upon the ground 
and in wandering through the woods I struck the 
tracks of three bears. After following them some 
distance I arrived at a place which had evidently 
been the scene of a desperate encounter. The snow 
and shrubbery were beaten down and the ground 
covered with blood. As there were no other tracks 
in the vicinity than those of the bears, they were 
undoubtedly the belligerents. Half a mile beyond' 
were the marks of another struggle. At this place 
one of the animals had taken another direction from 
the other two, leaving no blood in the track. He 
had probably become disgusted at the conduct of his 
companions, and left them to fight it out between 
themselves. I continued on the track of the two, 



172 PIONEEE LIF$ ; OK, 

and before night the dogs treed one of them and 1 
.shot it through the head. Near by I found a shelter 
about four feet wide, and twice that length, formed 
by a projecting rock, under which I dragged the 
dead bear, and prepared to pass the night. The 
animal bore shocking marks of the recent encounter, 
his throat and forward parts being so badly lacerated 
that he could not have survived the winter. About 
dark it commenced raining, and I considered myself 
fortunate in having found so snug a shelter. About 
nine o'clock two panthers made their appearance, 
and finding what was perhaps their jisual quarters 
invaded, they set up a screaming that would have sent 
the blood to the stoutest heart. I took my gun in 
one hand, my tomahawk in the other, while my dog 
stood near me, and I resolved, if they should attack 
me, to give them a warm reception. They kept up 
their fearful serenade until midnight, when they 
withdrew, and I heard no more of them. In the 
morning all traces of the other bears was obliterated, 
and I was accordingly compelled to abandon the idea 
of any further search for them. 

I have tamed at different times four bears, but 
disposed of them when they were about a year old, 
except the one I have now in my possession. I com- 
menced training this one when he was about a year 
(*!d # at first using the lash freely, but I soon found 
that whipping did not subdue him, but rendered him 
obstinate. I then tried milder means, and soon had 
him completely under my control. I taught him to 
lead bv -nnlline* gently upon the string, offering food 



THIRTY TEARS A HUNTER. l7o 

at the same time. He soon learned to follow when- 
ever I pulled upon the string, and spoke his name. 
After this he would perform any thing I ordered, if 
I could make him understand what I wished. By 
persuasion they may be taught almost any thing that 
a brute can learn, but will not be driven. Sometimes 
however, when they understand what is required of 
them, and refuse to obey, it may be necessary to use 
the lash. When a complete mastery is once obtained 
over it, the bear is as easily taught as any animal I 
ever attempted to train. They are very irritable 
when touched from behind, and on one occasion as I 
was leading my bear through a gate, he hung back, 
and a person struck him behind with a stick, when 
he sprang forward and bit me severely in the leg. 
At another time, while in the house, teaching him to 
walk backward, he struck against a table, when he 
seized me by the the hand. He instantly lay down 
and began to cry, knowing the whipping which 
awaited him. My bear will allow any animal to 
approach him, but if they should touch him behind, 
he resents it at once. In the months of July and 
August, when the weather is very warm, bears re- 
quire water in which to wallow. They subsist, during 
the early spring, upon the worms which they find 
under the bark of dead trees, as well as under stones 
and pieces of wood. When the grass and herbage 
begins to sprout they feed upon that, but at this sea- 
son they are always savage with hunger, and will 
attack any animal which affords a prospect of a 
meal. It is at this season that they are the most 
*I5 



1 74 PIONBEB UFE ; OB, 

troublesome to the settlements, for if they once 
obtain a taste of a domestic animal they will prfcwl 
around the settlement until July, when they can find 
plenty of blossoms and berries, of which they are 
very fond. As soon as nuts ripen they feed upon 
them, particularly atoms, chestnuts and beechnuts. 

My first serious adventure with beats was when 
1 was about fourteen years of age. Alexander Smith 
and James McMullen had left my father's house to 
hunt, and tracked seven raccoons tp their hole in the 
rocks. Having no means of driving then out, they 
returned home. The next day we prepared matches 
and yellow pitch pine torches, and I accompanied 
them. When we arrived at the hole, Smith and my- 
self entered, while McMullen remained outside to 
kill them as they emerged. The entrance for twenty- 
five feet was nigh enough to admit our walking 
upright, when it became narrower, and we were 
compelled to creep upon our hands and knees. We 
penetrated as far as neccessary, and then, throwing 
in a lighted match, we lay still, waiting the result. 
Four of the animals soon went past us, and the next 
moment we heard the report of Smith's gun. Upon 
^arriving at the outside, however, we ascertained that 
|he had not killed any of the animals, having become 
| so much excited that he had fired at random. The 
; the next time Smith remained outside with the gun, and 
McMullen entered the cave with me. We went in 
about as far as before, threw our matches, and lis- 
tened. In a short time I heard a noise that I thought 
was produced by some animals larger than a raccoon. 



THIBTY tEABS A mXNTEE,. 175 

I took the light from the baad of my companion, and 
peering into the Jiole I discovered two bears moving 
toward ns. I told McMnllen, who secreted himself 
in a hole near the entrance. In attempting to foil 
him I stumbled, fell, and the bears passed over 
Smith shot the largest one as it emerged from tV 
hole. He was a very large animal, weighing three 
hundred pounds. As we had no dogs, the smaller 
one escaped. 



lj^ 



CHAPTER XVI. 

HUNTING DEEP. AT DIFFERENT SEASONS. 

In the latter part of June, deer generally keep 
themselves in the swales, or marshes, near the small 
streams, where the grass starts the earliest. The 
usual method of hunting them at these places was to 
encamp in the vicinity, and watch early in the morn- 
ing and late at evening, when they go out to feed. 
If the woods are not open, the hunter ascended a 
tree or eminence where he could command a more 
extended view. When he discovered a deer, he slip- 
ped down, and endeavored to approach it by another 
direction than the one in which they were moving, as 
they always look behind them for danger. It is 
always necessary for the hunter to keep on the lee- 
ward side of the deer, as their keen scent will detect 
I his presence and flee, long before he can approach 
within shot, if the wind blows from him to the deer. 
The manner of curing the meat is the same as that 
/ of the elk. It is first cut from the bone in thin slices 
' and salted in the skin. It is easily preserved, less 
than a pint of salt with a little saltpeter, being suffi- 
cient for a deer. When it has lain from twelve to 
twenty-four hours, a scaffold is built, upon which the 
meat is spread, and a slow lire built underneath. 



THIBTT YBABS A- HUNTER. 177 

If the weather was stormy, the skin could be spread 
over the meat, and the drying still continued, the 
fire being gradually increased until the meat was 
thoroughly cured. In the mean time the hunter 
could continue his operations without much interrup- 
tion, as the fire had no effect in frightening away the 
deer. When I went on a hunt, I usually carried a 
good supply of salt, and arranged it so that if I did 
not return at the end of three days a man foDowed 
me with a horse, bringing me supplies, and conveying 
home the venison I had taken. During all my hunts 
I kept a constant lookout for deer licks, and if I found 
none in a place favorable for deer, I made one near 
an unfailing spring. The manner in which I made 
the lick was to bore several holes in a black oak log 
with an augur which I always carried with me for 
the purpose, and into them put about three pints of 
salt, with a small quantity of saltpeter, and insert a 
plug in each hole. The wood soon becoming satura- 
ted with the salt, the deer would gnaw it. If I found 
a lick to which the deer at the proper season resorted , 
I proceeded at once to build a scaffold, in order that 
the deer might become accustomed to the sight of it 
before I made use of it. If a tree stood within three 
or four rods of the lick I built my scaffold upon that 
If there was no tree in a favorable place, I set four 
crotches in the earth, lay poles across, and make a 
screen of bushes or bark to conceal myself from the 
deer. About a month after I had prepared a log, I 
visited it, and if the deer had found it, I built a 
scaffold near it. fn hunting at these licks, I mounted 



178 

the scaffold by a ladder which I drew up after me, 
and patiently awaited the approach of the deer. If 
none came during the day, I prepared a torch of 
pitch pine, sometimes adding lard or bear's grease, 
which I swung upon a pole reaching from the scaf- 
fold to the ground. The torch was attached to a 
crane of withes and bark, made to slide upon the 
pole, and slipped down by a cord to within three 
feet of the ground. As the deer came along, they 
would stop and stare &t the light, forming an easy 
mark for me. When alone in these expeditions, I 
was always provided with two guns, a musket and a 
rifle. If several deer came at once within shot, I 
iired the musket, which was loaded with buckshot, 
and the deer frequently stood fixed to the spot, not 
knowing which way to flee, and I could kill three or 
four before coming down from the scaffold. Besides 
the light near the ground, I had another upon the 
scaffold, about as high as my head, and when firing 
from the scaffold, I raised the gun above the range 
of the deer, and lower it gradually until the end of 
the barrel became dark, and then fire, scarcely ever 
missing my aim. When I fired from the ground by 
torchlight, I pointed the gun below the game, and 
raised it till the end became dark. After killing the 
first ones, there is no further chance that night, as 
the smell of the blood will frighten away the deer. 
I generally had a companion and a dog, and one of 
us remained at a distance with the dog, while the 
other watched from the scaffold. In the morning, if 
any were wounded, we set the dog on the track, if 



THIETY TEAKS A HUNTEE. 179 

we could not track it by the blood without difficulty. 
About the tenth of November, the deer begin to 
-ravel from one place to another, and by that time I- 
jad generally chosen my hunting ground. I would 
ake my station upon the summit of some hill, where 
[ could command a view in all directions. I would 
iome ^mes mount a tree to the height of fifty feet. 
3n one occasion I discovered from the top of a tree 
even deer and three bears. I descended and killed 
wo of the deer, but the bears escaped. 

My first lessons in hunting were received from an 
)ld hunter, named John Mills. He lived near my 
ather's, and wishing to remove to Canada, sold his 
arm to my father. He then offered to sell me his 
log, and teach me all he knew aoout deer hunting, 
or fifteen cfollars, which I accepted, I had already 
mnted several years, but his instructions were of 
greater value to me than all my previous experience. 
Che substance of his instructions I have given the 
•eader. The following autumn I went out on a hunt- 
ng expedition, taking with me the dog I had bought 
>f Mills and another one which I had previously 
>wned. I followed the directions I had received, 
md with a success which showed their value. From 
;he early part of October until the first of February 
[ killed twenty-eight bears and a large number of 
leer. Mills also taught ' me, among other things, 
iow to train dogs for hunting, as well as the kind of 
tnimals to select. The usual resorts for deer at dif- 
ferent seasons, which I also learned from my Mentor 
ire as follows. In June they frequent beech and 



180 pioneer life; OB, 

maple woods, or feed in the marshes bordering on 
the streams. About the last of July they take to 
the highlands, among the chestnut and white oak 
woods, feeding on pea-vines ond other herbage. In 
the hot weather of August they lie in the thiclcest 
shades upon high hills, and at this time the manner 
of hunting them is to watch by a spring, as near the 
summit of a hill as may be found. They will come 
at evening to drink, and fall an easy prey to the 
hunter as he lies concealed within a few yards. The 
last of September the deer begin to leave the thick- 
ets and move from one place to another, and for 
several months they are constantly in motion. The 
hunter has only to station himself near one of their 
paths, and shoot them as they pass. When the first 
snows come they can be tracked to the places where 
herds of them lie at night, and the hunter can keep 
near a herd and pick them off with his rifle. 

In 1805 a colony consisting of about forty families 
of English people, made a settlement between the 
first and second forks of Pine Oreek. They cleared 
about two hundred and fifty acres of land, and built 
several good houses, but being unaccustomed to the 
hardships and dangers of pioneer life, they aban- 
doned the settlement after struggling along for five 
year3. As soon as the coast was clear, the deer 
from all the country around came to feed in the cul- 
tivated fields and sunny pastures of the deserted 
settlement. This afforded a capital opportunity for 
hunters, and the place became a favorite resort for 
them. We would lodge in the upper story of some 



THIETY YBAE8 A HUNTER. 181 

deserted house, and in the morning looking out of 
a window, could see perhaps forty deer. I have 
often shot a couple of deer from the window before 
leaving the house in the morning. From this con- 
gregation of deer in the openings a man in the 
vicinity conceived the idea of entrapping them in 
fields cleared and sowed with wheat or grass. The 
next season he accordingly cleared two acres, partly 
on a hill-side, built a high fence around it and sowed 
it with wheat. About the last of August, when the 
young wheat had obtained a good start, he made 
openings in the fence to admit the deer. "When 
they had fed upon the wheat 'for three weeks, it was 
gnawed so close that he closed the fence for a few 
weeks to give it a fresh start. About the first of 
October he again opened the fence for a week, when 
he kept it closed till near the middle of November. 
The deer had now become wonted to the place, and 
he made places in the fence where they could easily 
leap into the field, but once in they could not get 
out. In a few days he had two bucks and two does 
in his enclosure. He killed the bucks, and let the 
does stay in the field to decoy other deer. This had 
the desired effect, and during the season he took in 
this manner between sixty and seventy deer. This 
method is successful only where deer are numerous. 
The wheat crop is not materially injured, if the deer 
are not permitted to remain on it too long. The 
. best kind of dog for hunting deer is a large variety, 
half bloodhound, a quarter cur and the other quarter 
grayhound. I have had two dogs of this kind, for 
JO 



182 pioneer life; OB, 

one of which I paid ten dollars and for the other six. 
They were of more practical value than four smaller 
dogs would have been. When they were once in 
chase of a deer, they would not lose one in ten. So 
famous did they become for their prowess, that if 
any of the neighbors saw them running, they would 
exclaim, "There are Tome's dogs; the deer cannot 
be far off." The deer could never baffle them by 
any of their usual etrategems, and they often ran 
them down before they reached the water. Those 
wishing to hunt successfully should always procure 
at any cost, the largest and best dogs to be found. 

A fawn when very young, can be easily tamed 
and kept near the house. They soon become attached 
to their home, and if removed twenty miles will 
find their way back in a few days, unless forcibly 
prevented. I have never succeded in making a deer 
s f and and suffer me to milk her, nor in breaking one 
to the halter. They can be coaxed to follow, but 
will not be led. A doe, if at perfect liberty, will 
remain about half the time near the house where 
it was brought up, and the other half in the woods, 
but never forgets to return. When returning home, 
it always takes a straight course, through fields, 
streams and forests, unless attacked. They are very 
quiet and good-natured in a domesticated state, 
unless they have young, and then they will stamp, 
kick and drive every other animal from them. The 
bucks, until they are a year old, are very mild and 
gentle, but even then they will not learn to do any 
labor. At two years old they are very untractable, 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 1$3 

and cannot be subdued by whipping or any other 
means, but will plunge at their keeper upon every 
opportunity. At three years old it is dangerous to 
approach them at any time after the middle of Sep- 
tember, when their antlers have attained their full 
size, until they shed them in February. Their vi- 
ciousness increases with their years, and unless kept 
in a park they are very dangerous animals. 
; The color of the deer changes twice during the 
year. They shed their hair the last of April, and in 
May their color is a bright red. By the last ot 
October they are covered with a short coat of a blue 
color. The color of the young fawns is a light red- 
dish brown, beautifully variegated with small white 
spots. About the middle of October these spots* 
disappear, and they are then bluish, like the old 
ones- In November their hind quarters become 
white in places. I have seen in my life, two white 
deer. The first one I saw with a drove of other deer 
eating moss in the Susquehannah river, where I was 
fire-hunting. Three years afterward, I saw another, 
while hunting for elk at night, fifteen miles above 
the place where I had seen the first. I could have 
killed both, but being such rare specimens, I let 
them go. They are not a distinct species of deer, 
but are merely deviations from the general color of 
common deer. Every seventh year in April, they 
move west in herds of from three to fifteen, generally 
going about thirty miles from their usual haunts, 
and remaining, if undisturbed until some time in 
Julv. If they are molested, they return at once to 



184: PIONEER LIFE; OB, 

their old haunts. This disposition to fly in danger 
to their accustomed place, is always shown by them, 
whether in a wild or domesticated state. I knew a 
tame buck to disappear from its owner, and nothing 
was heard of it for some time. At length it returned 
one night, very weary, but with its bell on, just as 
when it went away. It had taken up its quarters at 
a farm fifteen miles distant, where it remained con- 
tented until attacked by dogs. From the last of 
June until September, deer are light and in good 
condition for running, and at this season they are 
not easily run down. When driven to the water by 
dogs at this time they will cross and run a long time 
on the opposite side. By the last of October they 
are very fat, taking immediately to the water when 
pursued, and do not cross it, but run either up or 
down a mile or two, so that the dogs lose their scent, 
and then leaving the water lie down at a short dis- 
tance, keeping a keen watch for their pursuers. I 
always found it desirable to have a man and dog at 
the water to watch for the deer, and with a good 
dog they seldom escaped. A deer will not mate 
with any other animal than one of its own species. 
If one is placed when young, in company with a 
calf, lamb, or any other animal, it will not, as might 
be expected, form an attachment for it. The bucks 
are very quarrelsome, and during the running season 
desperate conflicts often ensue between them, result- 
ing sometimes in the death of both the belligerents. 
I have often found two of them lying dead, at the 
season I have mentioned, each bearing fatal marks 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 



185 



of the other's antlers. I once found one lying in the 
last gasp, his antlers interlocked with those of ano- 
ther, already dead. A neighbor once found two of 
them fighting with their antlers locked, and a doe 
standing near. He first shot the doe and then both 
the bucks 




CHAPTER XYII. 

lU-TtEE AND HABITS OF THE PANTHEB, WOLF AND FOX 

The jaguar, American panther, or as it is usually 
corrupted by hunters, " painter " — is* one of the 
most formidable animals encountered in the forests 
of this continent. It belongs to the cat tribe, and in 
its manner of springing upon its prey, as well as in 
many other particulars, it resembles the domestic 
cat. Its color is the same as the deer, changing in 
May with its new coat to a red, which changes again 
to a bluish color in October. They subsist entirely 
upon animal food, their usual prey being deer and 
rabbits. About the first of January, is called the 
running season, being the time when they mate. 
When the first snows of winter come, they seek the 
rocky hills and sheltered places, where they remain 
until driven forth by hunger, when they frequently 
visit the farmyards of the settlers, and help them- 
selves to any sheep or fowl that is within their reach. 
From an Isrealitish antipathy to pork, or some other 
cause, they never attack a hog, passing by good fat 
ones to reach other animals. A half-grown panther 
once entered a poultry-house at night, making such 
a disturbance that it was heard in the dwelling by 
two/emales, who were the only ones at home. They 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 187 

supposed it was a fox, and taking a loaded gun and 
a torch, they went to the scene of the robbery. As 
they peered into the poultry-house, they perceived 
the animal, but still ignorant of its character they 
fired. The creature gave a yell that thrilled them 
with horror, and dropping their torch, they retreated 
to the house, but upon going out again, when all was 
silent, they found the panther lying dead. The 
females carefully conceal their young until they are 
half-grown, and so effectually do they accomplish it, 
that during a life time spent in the forest, I never 
found a nest with young in it. I once saw a panther 
thrust her head ont of a hole in an old hollow tree, 
but as I had no gun or axe, I went home, and in a 
few days returned and cut down the tree. I found 
in it a snug, warm nest, which she had occupied 
with her young but she had seen me, and removed 
them to other quarters. They seldom have more 
than one at a time, and never more than two, which 
they probably rear in holes near the tops of trees. 
The bear is the only animal that can cope with the 
panther. I once witnessed an encounter between a 
bear and a panther. From its superior agility the 
panther had the advantage at first, but when the 
bear became enraged by his wounds, he grasped his 
antagonist in his powerful paws, crushing and biting 
him to death almost instantly. Its gait is the same 
as that of a cat, treading stealthily along upon its 
toes, when moving at leisure, but when pursued or 
pursuing and it wishes to accelerate its pace, it moves 
in tremendous bounds, passing over the ground so 



188 pioneer life; ok, 

rapidly as to defy pursuit, but it can maintain this 
movement but a short time, soon becoming fatigued 
and ascending a tree. When a panther is about to 
attack its prey, it creeps noiselessly along until within 
a few yards of it, when crouching flat, it pauses for 
a moment, with its eyes dilated, its tail quivering, 
and every muscle strained to its utmost tension, and 
then, with a sudden spring, it fastens upon its vic- 
tim, which it soon dispatches with its teeth and long 
powerful claws. From this peculiar manner of 
attack, it is sometimes enabled to conquer even an 
elk, and I have twice found elk, which had been 
killed by panthers ; one of them so recently that it 
was yet warm, and I killed the panther within a 
short distance. I have attacked a panther with 
eight dogs, for which it proved more than a match, 
driving them all from the field. Notwithstanding 
its ferocity and strength, it is little feared by hunters, 
and many of the marvelous tales of its attacks upon 
men are undoubtedly without foundation. It may 
be that in some instances they have been driven by 
ii unger to attack the human species, but with that 
instinctive consciousness of man's superiority which 
every animal exhibits, they will generally avoid him 
if possible. I have often watched by the carcases 
of deer, which had been killed and partly devoured 
by panthers, but none ever returned for the remain- 
der while I was near. They are less numerous than 
~ny other animal ranging tbe same forests, and are 
solitary in their habits, never herding together like 
wolves and many other animals. 



THIETT YEARS A HUNTER. 189 

The breeding season for wolves is in May, and at 
this season they are very shy, keeping themselves 
scattered through the woods, near the head waters of 
the streams, and seldom approaching the settlements. 
An old she-wolf will occasionally sally forth and pick 
up a sheep. They generally have three or four young 
at a time, and never more than seven. The young 
wolves are weaned in November, when they have 
attained their full size. When left by the old ones to 
shift for themselves, they become nearly famished, 
and are more troublesome to the settlements than at 
any other season. In February, which is the running 
season, they collect in large gangs, and do much mis- 
chief. They will attack a dog or any other animal 
that they can master. In 1822, while hunting on 
the Clarion Kiver, my dogs were attacked by wolves. 
One of them escaped, but the other, a valuable ani- 
mal, was torn in pieces. Frequent and sometimes 
fatal conflicts occur among themselves, and I have 
several times found dead ones which had been torn 
in pieces by their comrades. One night a gang of 
wolves passed my house, howling and screaming 
fearfully, and chasing a dog to the very door. The 
next morning I found one of their number lying 
dead, and another was found a few miles distant. 
In the latter part of May they begin to chase deer, 
and from that time until the following March, they 
subsist principally in this manner. In the winter, 
when the snow is deep, with a crust upon the surface, 
it is difficult for the deer to run, and great numbers 
of them are destroyed by wolves. In the spring, 



100 PIONEER LIFE J CR, 

when it is more difficult for them to catch deer, they 
live upon rabbits, frogs, fish, etc. I have often seen 
them watching for fish in the Susquehannah. This 
river abounds in a kind of fish called the white suck- 
er, which lie in schools near the shore, sunning them- 
selves. The wolves come slyly to the water and 
seize them, sometimes taking two or three before 
the school escapes to deep water. When there was 
no bounty on wolves, we did not kill them, as they 
were useful in driving in deer. Wolves never attack 
cattle, colts, or hogs. They will intermix with dogs, 
and I once knew an old she-wolf to come into the 
setlement and entice away a number of dogs. The 
next summer she was seen with six half-wolf pups. 
The hunter shot her, aDd endeavored to capture the 
pups, but they made their escape. Two of them had 
spots on them exactly like one of the dogs. A slut 
belonging to an Indian living at the head of Kenzua 
Creek, had a litter of half-wolf pups. They were 
larger than common dogs, very sharp-scented, and 
would some times run deer. In stormy weather 
wolves take shelter under rocks and in hollow trees, 
which in the early spring, they also occupy at night. 
They generally come to their nests about sunset, and 
the hunter can shoot them as tbey arrive, by taking 
his station upon a tree or a scaffold, where they can- 
not scent him. 

Of foxes there are three kinds, the black, the silver 
grey, and the red. The black fox is the largest and 
most valuable. It is very sly and cunning, seldom 
approaching within three or four miles of the settle- 



THIRTY TEAKS A HUNTER. 191 

ment, and when hotly pursued, will ascend any tree 
that leans. I have killed foxes which I supposed to 
be a cross between the black and the silver grey. 
The silver grey is also very shy, and in size it is 
between the black and the red. They subsist upon 
squirrels, rabbits, mice and fish. The red fox is 
smaller and more numerous than either of the other 
varieties. Though they are not as shy as the other 
kinds, they still possess so much cunning that it is 
very difficult to catch them. The most successful 
manner of taking them is to track them to their holes 
when there is a light snow on the ground, and set 
traps covered with straw, near the entrance. The 
snow falling soon covered both trap and straw, when 
the foxes, not suspecting danger, would step into 
the trap and be caught. Another manner of trapping 
them is to set a trap in a spring which they frequent, 
and attach the bait to sticks which are set in the 
water beyond the traps, and as the fox attempts to 
reach it, he steps into the trap. After his visits to 
the farmyards, the fox strikes a direct course for 
his hole, and a person by secreting himself near the 
path, can shoot them as they pass. They breed in 
the same manner as dogs, the litters numbering from 
three to six. They rear their young in holes which 
they dig in the ground. Young foxes are easily 
tamed, and will remain around the premises until the 
season for mating, when they generally go to the 
woods, and often remain. Red foxes generally stay 
near the settlements, preferring to live in white ash 
or chestnut woods, near water. I never saw a young 



192 noNEEB life; or, 

black or silver-grey fox. So jealously do they avoid 
the haunts of man, that but little can be learned of - 
its habits. Indeed, the black fox is so shy as well 80 
rare, that its very existence is by some regarded as 
fabulous, and it undoubtedly forms the foundation 
for many a mystic tale which is recounted in awe- 
struck tones by the settler's children as they gather 
of a winter evening around the blazing hearth of 
their log-cabin. I never succeeded in running one 
down with hounds in the manner that red ones are 
caught. One which I was once after with hounds 
ran up a leaning tree and I shot it, but this was the 
only case in which I was successful with dogs. 



CHAPTER XYIH. 

KATTLESNAKE8 AND THEIEHABITS 

Having always lived where rattle-snakes were 
numerous, I have taken particular notice of their 
habits. It was only after ten years observation that 
I learned the manner in which they travel when they 
emerge from their holes, how they propogate, and 
how they live at different seasons. It is a common 
error to suppose that a new rattle is added every 
year to their tail. I had two rattle-snakes which 
were taken when about three years old, and both 
had by some accident, lost all but one of their 
rattles. In three months three new rattles had grown 
upon one and one upon the other. Eattle-snakes 
shed their skin in June. It first begins to loosen at 
the tail, and gradually approaches the head, coming 
off entire a day or two after it is loose at the head. 
About this time they collect together in large num- 
bers, upon rocks near the water, I have seen forty 
of them sunning themselves upon one rock, and have 
heard others tell of seeing three hundred together. 
When they have remained at these places a few 
weeks, they mate and disperse. Many suppose that 
the black ones are males and the yellow are females. 
This is a mistake ; as I have seen two of each color 



194: pioneer life; ob, 

together. The ones which I owned were both 
males, and one was yellow and the other black. 
The black one was bitten by the other, from the 
effect of which it died in about a week. In July 
they lay their eggs in the sand on the margin of 
rivers and creeks, a little above high water mark. 
The eggs are about as large as those of a quail, and 
are all deposited at one time. They always lay an 
odd number, seven, nine or eleven. After leaving 
their eggs in the sand for about four weeks they 
return and swallow them. I never saw this done, 
but I have watched the place where the eggs were 
deposited, and at the end of four weeks the eggs 
were gone, the sand disturbed and the track of the 
snake could be seen. An old man named James 
English has told me that he had seen them swallow 
their eggs, and at one time about the middle of 
September, he saw a number of small snakes issue 
from the mouth of the old one, and as she moved on, 
they followed. I cannot vouch for the truth of this 
as I never witnessed any thing of the kind, but have 
killed snakes in September, with live young in them. 
In my opinion the snakes swallow the eggs when 
they are about to hatch, in order to preserve the 
young until they attain some size. From the middle 
of June to the middle of August, the male and 
female are never far apart. The female takes the 
lead, and the male follows within a short distance. 
If the female is killed at this season, her mate will 
always bo found near her within three days. A 
person of my acquaintance killed a female snake 



TIIJBTY YEAK9 A HUNTER. 195 

which ho laid upon the limb of a small tree, eight 
feet from the ground. In a short time its mate 
crawled up to the limb and remained by its side fur 
three days. After the middle of August they dis- 
perse and retire to their holes. I do not think, 
as many do, that they live together in dens, during 
the winter, but that each one finds quarters for itself, 
where it remains singly, until spring. While dig- 
ging for a mill-pit in January, I found a snake two 
feet below the surface. It appeared to be frozen, 
but upon taking it near the fire it soon revived. 
They have been found under rocks and in other 
places, not more than a foot from the surface. They 
are always found lying perfectly straight, and as it 
is not probable that they emerge tail first from their 
holes, they must dig another hole to come out of. 
The rattle-snake moves very slowly, sometimes con 
suniing a month in going a mile or two to the water. 
They sometimes lie upon the surface of the water 
and float some distance. Wben in the water they 
become bloated, but soon recover their natural size, 
after leaving the water. Besides rattlesnakes, the 
country east of the Allegany mountains was infested 
by copperheads, blowing vipers, black-snakes, racers 
and hoop, or horn-snakes. The copperheads were 
not as numerous as the rattle-snakes, but are much 
more venomous and spiteful, striking at every thing 
that comes within their reach. The blowing viper is 
so named from its emitting a hissing like that pro- 
duced by the blowing of a goose. It is larger than 
tho. orvouerhead, but not as venomous, being more so 



196 

however, than the rattle-snake. The black -snakes 
were very numerous, and so many are still found in 
all the northern States that every one living there is 
familiar with their appearance. They are harmless, 
but very voracious, using their powers of fascination 
to secure birds, squirrels and other small animals, 
which they afterward devour. The racer is very 
long and slim, sometimes growing to the length of 
eleven feet, while its diameter does not exceed an 
inch. Their color is black, with the exception of 
white rings around the neck. They glide over the 
ground with their heads elevated about eighteen 
inches, as rapidly as a dog can run. I was at one 
time while ploughing, very much alarmed by one of 
these snakes. I heard a hissing, but passed on 
without paying much regard to it. When I again 
came around to the place, it was repeated, but I 
passed on as before. When I approached the spot 
the third time my curiosity was excited, and I 
resolved to ascertain the source of the hissing. 
When I was near the spot from which it seemed to 
proceed my attention was called for a moment to my 
team, and when I again turned my head, I was 
in contact with a racer, eleven feet in length, stand- 
ing nearly erect, and darting his forked tongue, not 
more more than a foot from my head. I sprang 
back with a scream which startled one of the horses, 
and plunging forward, it threw the other, broke 
loose, and ran to the house. Eecovering myself, I 
advanced toward the snake, when it settled down, 
and retreated to the hollow in which it was first 



THIRTY TEAKS JL HUHTEB. 197 

concealed. I halted at a little distance, when it 
again raised its head erect, and stood eyeing me. 
As I turned to run, the snake followed me, but 
retreated when I advanced toward it. In this man- 
ner we chased each other alternately across the field 
three times, when I picked up a club and killed it. 
The hoop-snake, or horn-snake is very rare. It is 
about five feet long, aud an inch and a quarter in 
thickness. It is similar in color to a yellow rattle- 
snake, but the light spots are less dingy. Its tail 
terminates in a black horn, four or five inches in 
length, and very sharp at the point. When preparing 
to make an attack, it bends itself into a circular form, 
and rolls over the ground like a hoop, striking its 
spike with graat force into the object of its attack. 
So deadly is the venom contained in this spike or 
horn, that it is fatal even to trees. In one instance 
with which I was cognizant, one of these snakes 
rolled at a man, who avoided it, by stepping to one 
side, and the snake, being under such velocity that 
iJt could not turn, struck its horn into an elm tree 
with such force that it could not extricate it. The 
suake died, hanging there, in two weeks, and the 
tree was lifeless at the end of a month, Notwith- 
standing the deadly nature of a rattlesnake's bite, 
they are easily destroyed by dogs which have been 
taught how to attack them. The dog seizes it by the 
middle, and with a few vigorous shakes scatters it in 
fragments. If the dog should be bitten, it immedi- 
ately digs a hole in the ground, in which it lies until 
the swelling disappears. I have always found this 

*17 



198 PIONEER LIFE J OB, 

simple remedy the best one which can be resorted to 
for the bite of a rattle-snake. A young man of my 
acquaintance was once bitten, and I immediately 
dug a hole in the ground, eighteen inches deep, into 
which the leg was placed and covered with earth. 
At first he experienced no pain, but in a short time 
it became so severe that I was compelled to hold 
him down, but in three hours he fell asleep. After 
sleeping two hours he awoke, and the leg was 
entirely free from pain. Upon removing it from the 
earth, it was very white, and the poison was all 
drawn out. Another remedy is a plant called rattle- 
snake-weed or ox-weed. It is found upon low land, 
growing three or four feet high, with a slender stem, 
and limbs like those of the sun-flower. Its blossoms 
also resemble the sun-flower in form, but- are much 
smaller. The juice is pressed from the leaves, and 
applied to the wound, as well as administered inter- 
nally. In the year 1804, a man named John English 
was bitten by a rattle-snake while harvesting. He 
was struck in the large vein of the ankle, and in 
fifteen minutes the effects of the bite were visible in 
every part of his body and face. We carried him 
to the house, and as soon as possible obtained the 
weed, all of which required about half an hour. 
At this time his jaws were set so firmly that we were 
compelled to pry them open to administer the juice. 
He revived immediately, and we made a decoction 
of the weed, which we continued to give him. In 
four days he was able to sit up, but it was some time 
before he entirely recovered. A poultice of red 



THIRTY YEABS A HUNTEB. 199 

onions, salt and gunpowder, applied to the wound, 
and renewed frequently, is also an effectual remedy. 
Before I was twenty-six years of age I had seen 
thousands of rattle-snakes, but had never witnessed 
an exhibition of the powers of fascination which 
they are said to possess, and was therefore incredu- 
lous upon that point. A man in my employ told me 
that he had seen it, but I could not be convinced 
until I had occular evidence. One morning in 
August, about the period I have mentioned, I saw 
a rattle-snake upon the ground, with its keen eyes 
fixed upon a rat, which was about eighteen inches 
distant, and advancing slowly toward the snake. 
In a few minutes it had approached close to the 
snake, and just as the latter was about to seize it, I 
struck the rat lifeless with a stick which I held in 
my hand. The snake instantly coiled himself and 
prepared to strike at me, when I held out the stick, 
and he bit it with more venom than I ever saw ex- 
hibited. He drove his fangs in'with such force that 
I could feel the jar of the stick in my hand. A 
blow from the stick immediately placed him where 
he would never charm another rat. At another time 
I saw a rattle-snake charming a large black squirrel. 
As soon as the animal came within reach, the snake 
seized it, but the squirrel, after dragging it about 
twice its length, escaped. I have also seen black- 
snakes climb trees and charm birds. I have heard 
many say that snakes of different kinds will mate 
together, but from many experiments which I have 
made I am convinced that this is an error. I once 



200 PIONEER LITE ', CK, 

saw a rattle-snake lying upon a rock beside the 
water, and finding a water-snake at a short distance, 
I laid it upon the rock, near the other. It instantly 
fled from the rattle-snake, and continued to, as often 
as I placed them near each other. At another time 
I placed a black-snake near a rattle-snake, and at 
first the latter took no notice of the other, which 
exhibited the greatest terror, but upon placing them 
together again, the rattle-snake flew at it and would 
have bitten it, had it not been too nimble, and eluded 
the stroke. The rage of the one and terror of the 
other increased, as I continued to place them near 
each other. When a rattle snake and a blowing- 
vipea were brought together, both ran, each seem- 
ing to have an instinctive dread of the other. Find- 
ing a copperhead and a blowing-viper at the same 
time, I brought them together, when the viper beat 
a retreat, but the copperhead made no attempt to 
bite it. The last experiment I made was to place 
together a water-snake and an eel. Contrary to what 
might have been expected, the snake ran from the 
eel. These experiments convinced me that there is 
no affinity between snakes of different kinds, but 
that those which are less venomous are kept in terror 
by those which are more so. 1 have generally found 
snakes very numerous south of the New York State 
line, between the Tioga river and Lake Erie. They 
^ere always very numerous east of the Allegany 
mountains, but the state of New York was never as 
badly infested with them as Pennsylvania. I have 
endeavored, in a former chapter, to give some idea 






THIKTY YEARS A HUNTER. 201 

of their numbers in the country lying upon Tine 
Creek. West of there, upon the Sinemahoning it 
was little better in this respect, but from there to the 
Allegany river, the country was clear of them. They 
were very numerous on both sides of this river, but 
were not as troublesome north of the State line aa 
they were nearer its mouth. 



CHAPTER XIX 

DISTINGUISHED LUMBERMEN, ETC. 

Lumber is the great staple of trade in this section 
of country, and among those most prominent in the 
business, none stand higher than Guy 0. Irvin. He 
has been justly called the Napoleon of the lumber 
business. His name, person and character are 
known in every large town from Olean to New Or- 
leans. Coming into the section at an early day with 
little capital save a vigorous and comprehensive 
mind and an untiring spirit of enterprise, he has 
amassed a large fortune, having owned more pine 
timber lands and sawmills than any other individual 
upon the Allegany. When the business was driven 
to its extent in 1836 — 38, he frequently sent to market 
twenty million feet of lumber in a single season, and 
both shores for a mile above Pittsburgh are some- 
times lined with his rafts, waiting a rise of the water. 
I have been acquainted with him from childhood, 
and it is in the hope that young men will follow the 
example thus held up to them, that I record hia 
character and career. In his business operations he 
never loses sight of the rights or welfare of the 
laboring classes. 1 never knew him, upon any pre- 
text, to pay those running his lumber less than was 



THIRTY TEARS A HUNTER. 

agreed upon, but] on the contrary he has often made 
np, out of his own purse, for the mishaps of those in 
his employ. Upon one occasion he advanced seven 
hundred dollars more than had been agreed upon for 
running two million feet of boards to Louisville. He 
never hoards his money, but keeps it constantly in 
circulation, building mills, sawing and buying lum- 
ber and running it from the head waters of the Alle- 
gany to points on the Ohio and to New Orleans. He 
built a flouring mill on the Connewango, seven miles 
from Warren. At the same' place he also built a 
gang sawmill, several single sawmills, and a railroad 
for conveying his timber, together with the mansion 
where he resides, which is the most elegant and com- 
modious residence in the county. Besides these, the 
aggregate cost of which could not have been less 
than thirty thousand dollars, he has built a flouring 
mill at Kennedyville, costing four thousand dollars, 
and two double sawmills nine miles below Olean. 
He was also a partner with Henry Saxton, in build- 
ing on the Indian Reservation a mill costing between 
eight and ten thousand dollars, and a mill above 
the State line, on the Allegany river, which cost some 
ten thousand dollars. When his contracts have ex- 
pired, the money is always ready, and he has often 
advanced it before, when he thought the work was 
progressing properly. I was once present at Louis- 
ville when he settled with his men for running 
eighteen million feet of lumber, two millions of it 
having been rafted by me. I received a dollar and 
seventy-five cents per thousand, and some of thfl 



204 ionekr life; or, 

others two dollars. There were also five or six mil- 
lions of shingles, for running which he paid thirty- 
one and a half cents per thousand. This large 
amount was not only paid in full, but some who had 
met with ill success and had still done their duty 
faithfully were paid more than had been agreed upon. 
I once made a contract to raft lumber for him, and 
three months before I commenced operations he asked 
me if I wished any advance of funds. I answered 
that I had done nothing yet, and could not expect 
any advance, but upon his repeating the offer I told 
him that if he was willing I would be glad to have 
him advance sufficient to purchase provisions while I 
was rafting. He handed me nearly two hundred 
dollars, which proved very acceptable. I saw him 
next at Bucktooth mills, where he came to see how I 
was progressing. He again offered to advance funds 
if I desired it. I told him I would like fifty dollars, 
as I wished to be prepared to pay off and discharge 
any hand that proved incompetent. He gave me 
two hundred and fifty dollars, asking me if that 
would be sufficient. I have run seven million feet of 
boards for him in three successive years, and while 
engaged I never wanted money without obtaining it. 
One season having met with bad luck, he presented 
me with a hundred dollars. The secret of his success 
I consider to be his punctuality in his business en- 
gagements ; always doing as he agreed, so that the 
most implicit reliance could be placed upon his word. 
I think he possesses more tact in selling his lumber 
readily and obtaining good prices than any other 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 205 

lumberman I ever knew. His mansion is always 
open to every one, and his urbanity and affability is 
the same to rich and poor. No word of censure was 
ever breathed against him until the failure of the 
Lumberman's Bank at Warren, when for a short time 
reports injurious to his reputation were circulated, 
but he outlived them, and was almost the only one 
who paid his indebtedness to the Bank. Whenever 
a transaction terminates to his satisfaction he is 
always willing to share his good fortune with others, 
who have aided in bringing it about. At one time 
while I was interpreter for the Seneca chiefs, I acted 
in that capacity for them in negotiating with a num- 
ber of persons, one of whom was Mr. Irvin, for a 
lease of land on which to build mills. It required 
two days to complete the arrangements, during which 
time my whole efforts were exerted for the benefit of 
the Indians, but before going away, Mr. Irvin gave 
me twenty -five dollars in cash, and said that I had 
done so well for the Indians, I might have twenty- 
five thousand feet of boards at the Bucktooth Mills, 
worth at that time fifty dollars, saying that if I had 
not earned it then he was sure I would some other 
time. 

Mr. Irvin, in company with Edwin Sanderson and 
Mr. Clark of Vermont, are now erecting on Willow 
Creek, in McKean county, the most extensive sawmill 
in that section of country, to be driven by steam, in 
addition to two good mills they now have, driven by 
water power. They are the owners of about seven- 
teen thousand acres of excellent land, covered with 

l 18 



206 pionkrr life; op 

pine, hemlock, maple, beech, chestnut and oak. They 
are also building a plank road four miles in length, 
from their mills to the river. They paid in cash fur 
their land, over seventy thousand dollars, and are 
paying cash for every thing they roquiro in building, 
thereby doing great good to tho inhabitants of the 
neighborhood — more than any other establishment 
on the Allegany. They have also built a number of 
dwelling-houses and barns. The steam mill is ex- 
pected to saw about thirty-five thousand feet of lum- 
ber per hour. They intend building this year a 
railroad through their land, which, with buildings to 
be erected, will furnish employment for a large 
number of persons, The lands of theso gentlemen 
Btill abound with bears and deer, furnishing fine 
ground for the hunter. Corydon, at the mouth of 
Willow Creek, is a flourishing village, chiefly owing 
to the enterprise of the gentlemen above named. 

Dr. William Irwin, who resides at the mouth of the 
Bnokenstraw creek, is considered the wealthiest man 
in Warren county. Ho owns a very large tract of 
fine land at the mouth of the creek, a valuable grist- 
mill, a largo double sawmill, a woolen factory, an 
iron foundry, the Cornplantor Hotel, a store and a 
largo tract of pine timber land, up the Brokenstraw, 
upon which are four or five stone dwellings. In 
addition to tho above, he is the owner of more than 
one hundred thousand acres of land in different 
parts of the country, on which aro many mills, Btores 
and houses. His wife was a most exemplary woman, 
devoting her whole life to deeds of benevolence. 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 207 

Her active charity did not stop with feeding and 
clothing all the destitute within her reach, but she 
was mindful of their spiritual wants, and opened a 
Sabbath School in her own house, bringing in all in 
the vicinity. Among her other good deeds she built 
at a cost of four thousand dollars, a stone church for 
the Presbyterian congregation of which she was a 
member. Her earthly labors ended 6oon after its 
completion, the first sermon ever delivered in it being 
upon the occasion of her funeral, and her remains 
were the first laid in the adjoining gravej T ard. She 
was universally lamented, and will long live in the 
memory of those who knew her, as one of those upon 
whom the bestowal of wealth is a blessing to all 
within their inflner.ee. 



OHAPTEK XX. 

REMINISCENCES OF COKNPLAKTEK. 

Few names are more distinguished in the frontier 
history of Pennsylvania than that of Cornplanter. 
His Indian name was Ganiodienh, or handsome Lake. 
He was born at Conewaugus, on the Genesee River, 
being a half-breed, the son of a white man named 
John O'Bail, a trader from the Mohawk valley. In 
a letter written in later years to the Governor of 
Pennsylvania, he thus speaks of his early youth : 
"When I was a child I played with the butterfly, 
the grasshopper and the frogs ; and as I grew up I 
began to pay some attention and play with the In- 
dian boys in the neighborhood ; and they took notice 
of my skin being of a different color from theirs, and 
spoke about it. I inquired of my mother the cause, 
and she told me that my father was a resident of 
Albany. I still ate my victuals out of a bark dish. 
I grew up to be a young man, and married me a 
wife, and I had no kettle or gun. I then knew 
where my fattier . lived, and went to see him, and 
found he was a white man, and spoke the English 
language. He gave me victuals while I was at his 
house, but when I started to return home, he gave 
me no provisions to eat on the way. He gave me 



THIRTY YE4.E8 A HUNTER. 209 

neither kettle nor gun. * * *" Little further is 
known of his early life, beyond the fact that he was 
allied with the French in the engagement against 
Braddock, in July, 1775. He was probably at that 
time about seventeen years old. During the Revolu- 
tion he was a war chief of high rank, in the full 
vigor of manhood, active, sagacious, eloquent and 
brave ; and he most probably participated in the 
principal engagements against the United States, 
during that war. He is supposed to have been pres- 
ent at the cruelties of Wyoming and Cherry Yalley, 
in which the Senecas took a prominent part. He 
was in the war-path with Brant during Gen. Sulli- 
van's campaign, in 1779, and in the following year 
under Brant and Sir John Johnson, he led the Sene- 
cas in sweeping through Schoharie Kill and the 
Mohawk. On this occasion he took his father pris- 
oner, but with such caution as to avoid an immediate 
recognition. After marching the old man ten or 
twelve miles, he stepped before him, faced about 
and addressed him in the following terms : 

"My name is John Q'Bail, commonly called Corn- 
planter. I am yt>ur son ! You are my father ! You 
are my prisoner, and subject to the rules of Indian 
warfare. But you shall not be harmed. You need 
not fear. I am a warrior ! Many are the scalps I 
have taken ! Many prisoners I have tortured to 
death ! I am your son. I was anxious to see you, 
and greet you in friendship. I went to your cabin 
and took you by force, but your life shall be spared T 
Indians love their friends and their kindred, an4 

♦18 



210 PIONEER LIFE ; OB, 

treat them with kindness. If now you choose to 
follow the fortunes of your yellow son, and live with 
our people, I will cherish your old age with plenty 
of venison, and you shall live easy. But if it is 
your choice to return to your fields and live with 
your white children, I will send a party of my 
trusty young men to conduct you back in safety. I 
respect you, my father. Tou have been friendly to 
Indians, and they are your friends." The elder 
O'Bail preferred his white children and green fields 
to his yellow offspring and the wild woods, and chose 
to return. Notwithstanding his bitter hostility while 
the war continued, Cornplanter became the fast 
friend of the United States, when once the hatchet 
was buried. His sagacious intellect comprehended 
at a glance the growing power of the States, and the 
abandonment with which Great Britain had requited 
the fidelity of the Senecas. He therefore threw all 
his influence at the treaties of Fort Stanwix and 
Fort Harmer in favor of peace ; and notwithstanding 
the vast concessions which he saw his people were 
necessitated to make, still, by his energy and pru- 
dence in the negotiation, he retained for them an 
ample and beautiful reservation. For the course 
which he pursued on those occasions, the state of 
Pennsylvania granted him the fine reservation upon 
which he resided, on the Allegany river. The Sen- 
ecas, however, were never well satisfied with his 
course in relation to these treaties ; and Red Jacket, 
more artful and eloquent than his elder rival, but 
less frank and honest, seized upon this circumstance 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 211 

to promote his own popularity at the expense of 
Cornplanter. Having buried the hatchet, Corn- 
planter sought to make his talents useful to his 
people by conciliating the good will of the whites, 
and securing from further encroachment the little 
remnant of the national domain. On more than one 
occasion, when some reckless and bloodthirsty whites 
on the frontier had massacred unoffending Indians 
in cold blood, did Cornplanter interfere to restrain 
the vengeance of his people. During all the Indian 
wars from 1791 to 1794, which terminated with 
Wayne's treaty, Cornplanter pledged himself that 
the Senecas should remain friendly to the States. 
He often gave notice to the garrison at Fort Frank- 
lin of intended attacks from hostile parties and even 
hazarded his life on a mediatorial mission to the 
Western Tribes. He ever entertained a high respect 
and personal friendship for Washington, " the great 
counsellor of the thirteen fires," and often visited 
him during his presidency, on the business of his 
tribe. His speeches on these occasions exhibit both 
his talent in composition, and his adroitness in diplo- 
macy. Washington fully reciprocated his respect 
and friendship. They had fought against each other 
on the disastrous day of Braddock's defeat. Both 
were then young men. More than forty years after- 
ward, when Washington was about retiring from the 
presidency, Cornplanter made a special visit to Phil- 
adelphia to take an affectionate leave of the great 
benefactor of both the white and the red man. Af- 
ter peace was permanently established between tbe 



212 pioneer life; ok, 

Indians and the United States, Cornplanter retired 
from public life, and devoted his labors to his own 
people. He deplored the evils of intemperance and 
exerted himself to suppress them. The benevolent 
efforts of missionaries among his tribe always re- 
ceived his encouragement, and at one time his own 
heart seemed to be softened by the words of truth ; 
vet he preserved in his later years many of the 
peculiar notions of the Indian faith. In the war of 
1812 — 11, when the Senecas took up the hatchet in 
alliance with the United States, Cornplanter appears 
to have taken no active part ; but his son, Major 
Henry O'Bail and his intimate friend and neighbor, 
ILilftown, were conspicuous in several engagements 
on the Niagara frontier. Rev. Timothy Alden, 
President of Allegany College, who visited Corn- 
planter in 1816, thus describes the aged chief: 

" Jennesadaga, or Brant Town, Cornplanter's vil- 
lage, is on a handsome piece of bottom land, and 
comprises about a dozen dwellings. It was grateful 
to notice the agricultural habits of the place, and the 
-numerous enclosures of buckwheat, corn and oats. 
We also saw a number of oxen, cows and horses, 
and many logs designed for the sawmill and the 
Pittsburg market. In the year 1815, the Western 
Missionary Society established a school in the village 
under Mr. Samuel Oldham. Cornplanter, as soon 
-* apprised of our arrival, came over to see us, and 
took charge of our horses. Though having many 
around him to obey his commands, yet in the an- 
cient patriarchal style, he chose to serve us himself, 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 213 

and actually went into the field, cut the oats, and fed 
our beasts. He appears to be about sixty-eight 
years of age, five feet ten inches in height His 
countenance is strongly marked with intelligence 
and reflection. Contrary to the aboriginal custom, 
his chin is covered with a beard three or four inches 
in length. His house is of princely dimensions, 
compared with most Indian huts, and has a piazza 
fin front. He is owner of thirteen hundred acres of, 
excellent land, six hundred of which encircle the 
ground plot of his little town. He receives an annual 
stipend from the United States, of two hundred and 
fifty dollars. Cornplanter's brother, lately deceased, 
called the Prophet, was known by the high-sounding 
name of Goskakewanna Konnediu, or Large Beauti- 
ful Lake. Kinjuquade, the name of another chief, 
signified " The Place of Many Fishes," hence, prob- 
ably, the name of Kenzua. 

In 1821 — 22, the Commissioners *of Warren coun- 
ty assumed the right to tax the private property of 
Corn planter, and proceeded to enforce its collection. 
The old chief resisted, conceiving it not only unlaw- 
ful, but a personal indignity. The sheriff again 
appeared with a small posse of armed men. Corn- 
planter took the deputation to a room around which 
were ranged about a hundred rifles, and with the 
sentious brevity of an Indian, intimated that for 
each rifle a warrior would appear at his call. The 
sheriff and his men withdrew, determined to call out 
the militia. Several prudent citizens, fearing a san- 
guinary collision, sent for the old chief in a friendly 



214 pioneer life; or, 

way, to come to Warren and compromise the matter. 
He came, and after some persuasion, gave Lis note 
for the tax, amounting to $43,79. He addressed, 
however, a remonstrance to the Governor of Penn- 
sylvania, soliciting a return of his money, and an 
exemption from such demands against land which 
the state itself had presented to him. The Legisla- 
ture annulled the tax and sent two Commissioners to 
explain the matter to him. ne met them at the 
court-house in "Warren, on which occasion he deliv- 
ered the following speech, eminently characteristic 
of himself and his race : 

"Brothers : Yesterday was appointed for us all to 
meet here. The talk which the Governor sent us 
pleased us very much. I think that the Great Spirit 
is very much pleased, that the white people have 
been induced so to assist the Indians as they have 
done, and that he is pleased also to see the great 
men of this state and of the United States so friendly 
to us. We are much pleased with what has been 
done." * * "The Great Spirit first made the 
world, and next the flying animals, and found all 
things good and prosperous. He is immortal and 
everlasting. After finishing the flying animals he 
came down on earth and there stood. Then he 
made different kinds of trees, and weeds of all sorts, 
and people of every kind. He made the spring and 
other seasons, and the weather suitable for planting. 
These he did make. But stills to make whiskey to 
be given to the Indians he did not make. The Great 
Spirit bids me tell the white people not to give the 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTEB. 215 

Indians this kind of liquor. When the Great Spirit 
had made the earth and its animals, he went into the 
great lakes, where he hreathed as easily as any where 
else, and then made all the different kinds of fish. 
The Great Spirit looked back on all that he had 
made. The different kinds he made to be separate, 
not to mix with and disturb each other. But the 
white people have broken his command, by mixing 
their color with the Indians. The Indians have done 
better by not doing so. The Great Spirit wishes that 
all wars and fightings would cease. He next told us 
that there were three things for our people to attend 
to : first, we ought to take care of our wives and 
children ; secondly, the white people ought to attend 
to their farms and cattle ; thirdly, the Great Spirit 
has given the bears and deer to the Indians. He is 
the cause of all things that exist, and it is verv 
wicked to go against his will. The Great Spirit 
wishes me to inform the people that thoy should quit 
drinking intoxicating drink, as being the cause of 
disease and death. He told us never to sell any 
more of our lands, for he never sold lands to any 
one. Some of us now keep the seventh day, but I 
wish to quit it, for the Great Spirit made it for others 
but not for the Indians, who ought every day to 
attend to their business. He has ordered me to quit 
intoxicating drink, and not to lust after any woman 
but my own, and informs me that by so doing I 
should live the longer. He has made known to 
me that it is very wicked to tell lies. Let no one 
suppose this I have said is not true." * * "I have 



216 pioneer life; ok, 

now to thank the Governor for what he has done. 
I have informed him what the Great Spirit has or- 
dered me to cease from, and I wish the Governor to 
inform others of what I have communicated. This 
is all I have at present to say." 

The old chief appears after this again to have 
fallen into seclusion, taking no part even in the poli- 
tics of his people. He died at his residence, on the 
7th of March, 1836, at the age of one hundred and 
upward. " Whether at the time of his death he 
expected to go to the fair hunting grounds of his 
own people, or to the heaven of the Christian, is not 
known." " Notwithstanding his professional Chris- 
tianity, Cornplanter was very superstitious. c Not 
long since,' says Mr. Foote, of Chautauque county, 
4 he said the Good Spirit had told him not to have 
any thing to do with the white people, or even to 
preserve any mementoes or relics that had been 
given him, from time to time, by the pale-faces — 
whereupon, among other things, he burnt up his belt, 
and broke his elegant sword." In reference to the 
personal appearance of Cornplanter at the close of 
his life, a writer in the Democratic Arch, (Yenango 
county,) says : " I once saw the aged and venerable 
chief and had an interesting interview with him, 
about a year and a half before his death. I thought 
of many things, when seated near him, beneath the 
wide-spreading shade of an old sycamore, on the 
banks of the Allegany — many things to ask him — 
the scenes of the Revolution, the generals that 
fought its battles and conquered the Indians, his 



THIRTY TEARS A HUNTER. 217 

tribe, the Six Nations, and himself. He was consti- 
tutionally sedate, was never observed to smile, much 
less to indulge in the ' luxury of a laugh.' When 
I saw him he estimated his age to be over one hun- 
dred years. I think one hundred and three was 
about his reckoning of it. This would make him 
near one hundred and five years old at the time of 
his decease. His person was much stooped, and his 
stature was far short of what it had once been — not 
being over five feet six inches, at the time I speak 
of. Mr. John Strathers of Ohio, told me some 
years since, that he had seen him nearly fifty years 
ago, and at that period he was about his own height, 
viz : six feet one inch. Time and hardship had made 
dreadful impressions upon that ancient form. The 
chest was sunken and his shoulders were drawn for- 
ward, making the upper part of his body resemble a 
trough. His feet, too, (for he had take off his moc- 
casins,) were deformed and haggard by injury. I 
would say that most of the fingers on one hand were 
useless; the sinews had been severed by a blow of the 
tomahawk or scalping knife. How I longed to ask 
him what scene of blood and strife had thus stamped 
the enduring evidence of its existence upon his 
person ! But to have done so would, in all proba- 
bility, have put an end to all further conversation on 
any subject- — the information desired would cer- 
tainly not have been obtained — and I had to forego 
my curiosity. He had but one eye, and even the 
socket of the lost organ was hidden by the overhang- 
ing brow resting upon the high cheek bone. His 
19 



218 PIONEER LIFE J CR, 

remaining eye was of the brightest and blackest hue. 
Never have I seen one, in young or old, that equalled 
it in brilliancy. Perhaps it had borrowed luster 
from the eternal darkness of its neighboring orbit. 
His ears had been dressed in the Indian mode : all 
but the outside ring had been cut away. On one 
ear this ring had been torn asunder near the top, 
and hung down his neck like a useless rag. He had 
a full head of hair, white as the driven snow, which 
covered a head of ample dimensions and admirable 
shape. His face was swarthy ; but this may be ac- 
counted for from the fact that he was but half Indian. 
He told me that he had been at Franklin more than 
eighty years before the period of our conversation, 
on his passage down the Mississippi, with the 
warriors of his tribe, on some expedition against the 
Creeks or Osages. He had long been a man of 
peace, and I believe his great characteristics were 
humanity and truth. It is said that Brant and Corn- 
planter were never friends after the massacre of 
Cherry Valley. Some have alleged, because the 
Wyoming massacre was perpetrated by the Senecas, 
that Cornplanter was there. Of the justice of this 
suspicion there are many reasons for doubt. It is 
certain that he was not the chief of the Senecas at 
this time ; the name of the chief in that expedition 
was Ge-en-quah-toh, or He-goes-in-the-Smoke. As 
he stood before me — the aged chief in ruins — how 
forcibly was I struck with the truth of the beautiful 
figure of the old aboriginal chieftain, who, in descri- 
bing himself, said he was 'like an aged hemlock, 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 219 

dead at the top, and whose brandies alone were 
green.' After more than a hundred years of most 
varied life — of strife — of danger — of peace — he 
at last slumbers in deep repose on the banks of his 
own beloved Allegany." — [From Sherman Day's 
Historical Collections of the State of Pennsylvania. 






CHAPTER^XXI 

tNT)IAN ELOQrENCE. 



Their natural eloquence is acknowledged by every 
person who has heard their orators speak. In order > 
therefore, that the reader may be convinced of this, 
I shall offer a few specimens, the authors of some 
of which were personal acquaintances of my own : 



SPEECH OF CORNPLANTER. 

The Speech of Cornplanter to President Washington, at Philadelphia, 
in the jear 1790. 

Father : the voice of the Seneca nation speaks to 
you, the great counsellor, in whose heart the wise 
men of all the thirteen fires have placed their wis- 
dom. It may be very small in your ears, and we 
therefore entreat you to hearken with attention ; for 
we are able to speak of things which to us are very 
great. 

When your army entered the country of the Six 
Nations, we called you the Town Destoyer ; to this 
day, when this name is heard, our women look be- 
hind and turn pale, and our children cling close to 
the necks of their mothers. 



THIBTY TEAKS A HUNTEK. 221 

When our chiefs returned from Fort Stanwix and 
laid before our council what had been done there, 
our nation was surprised to hear how great a country 
you had compelled them to give up to you, without 
payiDg to us any thing for it ; every one said that 
your hearts were yet swelled with resentment against 
us for what had happened during the war, but that 
one day you would consider it with more kindness. 
We asked each other, What have we done to de- 
serve such severe chastisement? 

Father: when you kindled your thirteen fires sep- 
arately, the wise men assembled at them told us you 
were all brothers ; the children of one great father, 
who regarded the red people as his children. They 
called us brothers, and invited us to his protection. 
They told us that he resided beyond the great water, 
where the sun first rises ; and that he was a king 
whose power no people could resist, and that his 
goodness was as bright as the sun. What they said 
went to our hearts ; we accepted the invitation and 
promised to obey him. What the Seneca nation 
promise they faithfully perform. When you refused 
obedience to that king, he commanded us to assist 
his beloved men in making you sober. In obeying 
him we did no more than yourselves had led us to 
promise. 

We were deceived ; but your people teaching us 
to confide in that] king, had helped to deceive us ; 
and we now appeal to your heart. Is all the blame 
ours ? 



222 PIONEER LIFE ; OK, 

Father : when we saw that we had been deceived, 
and heard the invitation which you gave us to draw 
near to the fire you had kindled, and talk with you 
concerning peace, we made haste toward it : you 
told us you could crush us to nothing ; and you de- 
manded from us a great country, as the price of that 
peace which you had offered to us, as if our want of 
strength had destroyed our rights. Our chiefs had 
felt your power and were unable to contend against 
you, and they therefore gave up that country. What 
they agreed has bound our nation, but your anger 
against us must by this time be cooled, and although 
our strength has not increased, nor your power be- 
come less, we ask you to consider calmly — Were 
the terms dictated to us by your commissioners rea- 
sonable and just? 



SPEECH OF RED JACKET TO A MISSIONARY. 

Friend and brother, it was the will of the Great 
Spirit that we should meet together this day. He 
orders all things, and he has given us a fine day for 
our council. He has taken his garment from the 
sun and caused it to shine with brightness on us. 
Our eyes are opened, that we see clearly : our ears 
unstopped, that we have been able to hear distinctly 
the words that you have spoken ; for all these favors 
we thank the Great Spirit and him only. 

Brother, this council fire was kindled by you ; it 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 223 

was at your request that we came together at this 
time ; we have listened with attention to what you 
have said ; you requested us to speak our minds 
freely ; this gives us great joy, for we now consider 
that we stand upright before you, and can speak 
what we think, all have heard your voice, and all 
speak to you- as one man ; our minds are agreed. 

Brother, you say you want an answer to your talk 
before you leave this place. It is right you should 
have one, as you are a great distance from home, 
and we do not wish to detain you ; but we will h'rst 
look back a little and tell you what our fathers have 
told us, and what we have heard from the white 
people. 

Brother, listen to what we say. There was a time 
when our forefathers owned this great land. Their 
seats extended from the rising to the setting sun. 
The Great Spirit had made it for the use of the 
Indians. He had created the buffalo, the deer, and 
other animals for food. He had made the bear and 
the beaver, and their skins served us for clothing. 
He had scattered them over the country, and taught 
us how to take them. He had caused the earth to 
produce corn for bread, and this he had done for his 
red children, because he loved them. If we had 
any disputes about hunting grounds, they were gen- 
erally settled without the shedding of much blood ; 
but an evil day came upon us ; your forefathers 
crossed the great waters and landed on this island. 
Their numbers were small ; they found tribes, and 
not enemies ; they told us they had fled from their 



224: pioneer life; ok, 

own country, for fear of wicked men, and come here 
to enjoy their religions. They asked for a small 
seat ; we took pity on them granted their request, 
and they sat down among us : we gave them corn 
and meat ; they gave us poison in return. 

The white people had now found our country, 
tidings were carried back, and more came among us, 
yet we did not fear them, we took them to be friends; 
they called us brothers ; we believed them, and 
gave them a larger seat. At length their numbers 
had greatly increased ; they wanted more land ; they 
wanted our country. Our eyes were opened, and 
our minds became uneasy. Wars took place; In- 
dians were hired to fight against Indians; and many 
of our people were destroyed. They also brought 
strong liquors among us ; it was strong and powerful, 
and has slain thousands. 

" Brother, our seats were once large, and yours 
were very small ; you have now become a great 
people, and we have scarcely a place left to spread 
our blankets ; you have got our country, but are not 
satisfied ; you want to force your religion upon us. 

Brother, continue to listen. You say that you are 
sent to instruct us how to worship the Great Spirit 
agreeably to his mind, and if we do not take hold 
of the religion you white people teach, we shall be 
unhappy hereafter ; you say that you are right, and 
we are lost; how do we know this to be true? We 
understand that your religion is written in a book; 
if it was intended for us as well as you, why has not 
the Great Spirit given it to us, and not only to us, 



THIRTY YEARS A HUNTER. 2^5 

bnt why did he not give to our forefathers the know- 
ledge of that book, with the means of understanding 
it rightly ? We only know what you tell us about 
it; how shall we know what to believe, being so 
often deceived by the white people ? 

Brother, you say there is but one way to worship 
and serve the Great Spirit; if there is but one reli- 
gion, why do you white people differ so much about 
it ? Why not agree, as you can all read the book ? 

Brother, we do not understand these thing ; we 
are told that your religion was given to your fore- 
fathers, and has been handed down from father to 
son. We also have a religion which was given to 
our forefathers, and has been handed down to us, 
their children. We worship that way. It teaches 
us to be thankful for all the favors we receive ; to 
love each other, and to be united. We never quar- 
rel about our religioD. 

Brother, the Great Spirit has made us all ; but he 
has made a great difference between his white and 
his red children ; he has given us a different com- 
plexion and different customs ; to you he has given 
the arts, to these he has not opened our eyes ; we 
know these things to be true. Since he has made 
so great a difference between us in other things, why 
may we not conclude that he has given us a different 
religion according to our understanding ? The Great 
Spirit does right ; he knows what is best for his chil- 
dren ; we are satisfied. 

Brother, we do not wish to destroy your religion, 
or take it from you; we only want to enjoy our own. 



226 PIONEER LIFE ; OK, 

Brother, you say that you have not come to get 
our land o.- our m ney, but to enlighten our minds. 
I will now tell you that 1 have been at your meet- 
ings, and saw you collecting money from the meet- 
ing. I cannot tell what this money was intended 
for, but suppose it was for your minister, and if we 
should conform to your way of thinking, perhaps 
you may want some from us. 

Brother, we have been told that you have been 
preaching to white people in this place ; these people 
are our neighbors ; we are acquainted with them ; we 
will wait awhile and see what effect it has upon them. 



SPEECH OF RED JACKET. 

"What ! do you denounce us as fools and bigoL^ 
because we still continue to believe that which you 
sedulously inculcated two centuries ago? Your 
divines have thundered this doctrine from the pulpit, 
your judges have pronounced it from the bench, 
your courts of justice have sanctioned it with the 
formalities of law, and you would now punish our 
unfortunate brother (he that killed the woman) for 
xdherance to the superstitions of his fathers! Go to 
Salem! Look at the records of your government, 
and you will find hundreds executed for the very 
crime which has called forth the sentence of con- 
demnation upon this woman, and drawn down the 
arm of vengeance upon her. What have your bro~ 



THTETY YEAES A HUNTER. 227 

thers done more than the rulers of your people have 
done? and what crime has this man committed by- 
executing, in a summary way, the laws of his nation 
and the injunctions of his God ? 



SPEECH OF BLACK HAWK, WHEN HE SUEEENDEEED HIM- 
SELF TO THE AGENT AT PEAJEIE DU CHTEN. 



You have taken me prisoner with all my warriors. 
I am much grieved, for I expected, if I did not defeat 
3 r ou, to hold out much longer, and give more trouble 
before I surrendered. I tried hard to bring you into 
ambush, but your last general, understands Indian 
fighting. I determined to rush on you, and fight you 
face to face ; I fought hard. But your guns were 
well aimed. The bullets flew like birds in the air, 
and whizzed by our ears like the wind through the 
trees in winter. My warriors fell around me; it 
began to look dismal. I saw my evil day at hand. 
The sun rose dim on us in the morning, and at night 
it sank in a dark cloud, and looked like a ball of 
fire. That was the last sun that shone on Black 
Hawk. His heart is dead, and no longer beats quick 
in his bosom. He is now a prisoner to the white 
man ; they will do with him as they wish. But he 
can stand torture and is not afraid of death. He is 
no coward. Black Hawk is an Indian. He has done 
nothing for which an Indian ought to be ashamed. 
He has fought for his countrymen, the souaws and 



PIONEER LIFE; OR, 

papooses, against white men, who came, year after 
year, to cheat them and take away their lands. You 
know the cause of our making war. It is known to 
all white men. They ought to be ashamed of it. 
The white men despise the Indians, and drive them 
from their homes. But the Indians are not deceitful. 
The white men speak bad of the Indian and look at 
him spitefully, But the Indian does not tell lies ; 
Indians do not steal. 

An Indian who is as bad as the white men could 
not live in our nation ; he would be put to death, and 
eaten up by wolves. The white men are bad school- 
masters ; they carry false looks and deal in false 
actions ; they smile in the face of the poor Indian to 
cheat him ; they shake them by the hand to gain 
their confidence, to make them drunk, to deceive 
them, to ruin their wives. We told them to let us 
alone, and keep away from us ; but they followed on, 
and beset our paths, and they coiled themselves 
among us, like the snake. They poisoned us by their 
touch. We are not safe. We lived in danger. We 
were becoming like them, hypocrites and liars, adul- 
terers and lazy drones, all talkers and no workers. 
We looked up to the Great Spirit. We went to our 
father. We were encouraged. His great council 
gave us fair words and big promises, but we got no 
satisfaction, things were growing worse. There were 
no deer in the forest. The oppossum and beaver were 
fled ; the springs were drying up, and our squaws and 
pappooses without food to keep them from starving ; 
we called a great council, and kindled a large fire. 



THIRTY TEAES A HtJNTEB. 290 

The spirit of our fathers arose and spoke to us to 
avenge our wrongs or die. We all spoke before the 
council fire. It was warm and pleasant. We set up 
the war whoop, and dug np the tomahawk ; our 
knives were ready, and the heart of Black Hawk 
swelled high in his bosom, when he led his warriors 
to battle. He is satisfied. He will go to the world 
of spirits contented. He has done his duty. His 
father will meet him there, and commend him. 

Black Hawk is a true Indian, and disdains to cry 
like a woman. He feels for his wife, his children 
and friends. But he does not care for himself. He 
cares for the nation and the Indians. They will suf- 
fer. He laments their fate. The white men do not 
scalp the head ; but they do worse — they poison the 
heart; it is not pure with them. His countrymen 
will not be scalped, but they will, in a few years, 
become like the white men, so that you cannot trust 
them, and there must be, as in the white settlements, 
nearly as many officers as men, to take care of them 
and keep them in order. 

Farewell, my nation ! Black Hawk tried to 8a v* 
you, and avenge your wrongs. He drank the blood 
of some of the whites. He has been taken prisoner, 
and his plans are stopped. He can do no more. He 
is near his end. His sun is setting, and will rise 
no more. Farewell to Black Hawk. 



?0 



230 pioneer life; or, 

red jacket and the wyandot claim to supremacy. 

At a great council of the western tribes, assembled 
near Detroit, prior to the late war, the celebrated 
Seneca orator, Red Jacket, was present, when the 
right of the Wyandots to light the council fire, was 
brought up. This claim he strenuously -resisted, and 
administered a rebuke to this nation in the following 
terms : 

" Have ^the Quatoghies forgotten themselves ? Or 
do they suppose we have forgotten them? Who 
gave you the right in the west or east, to light the 
general council fire? You must have fallen asleep, 
and dreamed that the Six Nations were dead I "Who 
permitted you to escape from the lower country? 
Had you any heart to speak for yourselves ? Remem- 
ber how you hung on by the bushes. You had not 

even a place to land on. You have not done p g 

for fear of the Konoshioni. High claim, indeed, for 
a tribe who had to run away from the Kadarakwa. 

" As for you, my nephews," he continued, turning 
to the Lenapes, or Delawares, u it is fit you should 
let another light your fire. Before Mic^uon came, we 
had put out your fire, and put water on it ; it would 
not burn. Could you hunt or plant without our 
leave ? Gould you sell a foot of land ? Did not the 
voice of the Long House cry c go ! ' and you went ? 
Had you any power at all ? Fit act, indeed, for you 
to give in to our wandering brothers — you, from 
whom we took the war-club and put on petticoats." 



THIRTY TEARS A HUNTER. 231 

LITTER FROM REV. ASHER BLISS TO H. R. BCHOOLCRAFT. 

Cattaraugus Mission, Sept. 4th, 1845. 
Dear Sir : — Agreeably to your request, I forward 
you some facts in regard to the establishment and 
progress of the gospel among the natives of this 
reservation. The Cattaraugus Mission Church was 
organized July 8th, 1827, (which is a little more 
than eighteen years.) It consisted of Mr. William 
A. Thayer, the teacher, his wife and twelve native 
members. There have been additions to it from time 
to time, until the whole number who have held a 
connection with this church is one hundred and 
eighteen. Thirteen of these have been white per- 
sons, and most of them connected with the mission 
family. Of the one hundred and five native mem- 
bers, seven or eight have come by letter from other 
reservations, 60 that the number who have united on 
profession of faith is a little short of one hundred. 
Twenty-five of these have gone to their final account. 
Some have died in the triumphs of faith, and we 
humbly hope and trust that they are among the 
blessed, in the kingdom of our common Father. A 
number (as it was natural to expect from converts 
out of heathenish darkness) have apostatized from 
Christianity, and returned to their former courses. 
The proportion of these is not prabably more than 
one in ten. Between sixty and seventy are now con- 
nected with some of the mission churches. A few 
only have removed to Allegany, Tuscarora, while the 
remainder still live on this reservation. 



fioneee life.; OE, 

The effect of the gospel in promoting morality and 
^civilization, may be learned in part from the fact that 
the public worship of God has been steadily main- 
tained ever since the organization of the church, 
with members ranging from fifty to one hundred, 
and sometimes one hundred and fifty and two hun- 
dred as regular hearers of the word. A Sabbath 
school has been sustained a considerable share of 
the time. Many copies of the Holy Scriptures, and 
the Kew Testament, together with tracts, Sabbath 
school books, temperance papers, and religious peri- 
odicals, having been circulated among the chil- 
dren and youth. Temperance societies have been 
patronized by nearly all the chiefs and leading men 
en the reservation. Pledges have been circulated 
and received the signatures of a large majority of 
the population, of all parties, on the Washingtonian 
plan. 

Day schools for teaching the English language 
have been kept in operation almost without interrup- 
tion for more than twenty years, under the patronage 
of the A. B. C. F. M. 

During the thirteen years that I have superintend- 
ed these schools, nearly thirty different persons have 
engaged for a longer or shorter time, as teachers. 
I?or the past year there have been four schools under 
the patronage of the American Board, and one 
under the Society of Friends. The whole number 
who have been instructed in the five schools is prob- 
ably not far from one hundred and twenty-five. The 
attendance of a part has been very irregular, some- 



THISTY YKABS A HUNTEB. 

times attending no school at all. Several of the 
earliest pnpils in the mission schools are now heads 
of families, well informed, industrious, frugal, tem- 
perate and religious, and in good circumstances. 
Some are interpreters, some teachers of schools, and 
others engaged in transacting the business of the 
nation. 

You can, sir, best judge of the influence of the 
gospel in promoting worldly prosperity, when you 
have fully completed the census which is now being 
taken. When you count up the framed houses, 
aad barns, the horses, cattle, sheep and 'hogs, the 
acres of improved land, with the wagons, buggies 
and sleighs, clocks and watches, and the various 
productions of agriculture, you can easily conceive 
the difference between the present, and thirty years 
ago. I suppose there was not then a framed build- 
ing of any description, and scarcely a log house, 
properly so called, no teams, no roads, no ploughed 
land, and but small patches of corn, beans and 
squashes. What an astonishing change ! 

As to the capacity of Indian children for improve- 
ment, my own impression is that there is no essen- 
tial difference between them and white children. 
The fact that Indian children usually make slow pro- 
gress in studying English books, can be accounted 
for in three ways : 1. They generally have little 
or no assistance from their parents at home. 2. They 
are irregular in their attendance on schools, for 
want of order and discipline on the part of parents. 
3. Being ignorant of the English language, it is a 

r 



234 PIONEER LIFE ; OR, 

long time before they comprehend fully the instruc- 
tion of their teachers. 

These circumstances operate to make the school 
room a very dull and uninteresting place to the 
teacher, and the reflex influence gives the scholar 
the same appearance. When they can once rise 
above these circumstances, and overcome these ob- 
stacles, they make good proficiency in their studies. 

Believing that these statements cover the ground 
of your inquiries, I subscribe myself, dear sir, 
Respectfully and truly yours, 

ASHER BLISS. 



LETTER FROM REV. WILLIM HALL TO H. R. SCHOOLCRAFT 

Allegany Mission, Sept. 8th, 1845. 

Dear Sir: — Your inquiries in relation to the state 
of religion, education, etc., among the Indians of 
this reservation, if I rightly understand them, are 
briefly answered as follows : 

Christianity Very much prospered here during the 
four years next preceding the past. 

The number of church members during that 
period was nearly tripled, and very encouraging 
additions were made to their knowledge and zeal. 
But the past year has been one of stupidity and 
drought. 

There has, however, been four additions from the 
Jndians made to the church, by profession of faith, and 
two whites. 



THIRTY YEARS A. HUNTER. 235 

The present number of Indian members is about one 
hundred and fifteen. The number of whites is eight 
Seven of the Indian members are under censure. 

I have sustained three schools during the pa6t 
summer, in which about eighty Indian children have 
been more or less taught. One of these schools, 
whose whole number is only about thirty, gives an 
average attendance of nearly twenty-five. In this 
neighborhood the population is sufficiently compact 
for a farming community, and the younger parents 
are partially educated. 

In the other neighborhoods, the population is very 
sparse, and the parents very ignorant. The conse- 
quence is, that the daily attendance falls short of 
one half the whole number of scholars, and cannot 
be called regular at that. Many do not get to school 
earlier than half past eleven, and very few earlier 
than ten. and half-past ten. Those who attend regu- 
larly, evince a capacity to acquire knowledge, equal- 
ing the whites, and one of our schools will suffer 
nothing, in comparison with common country schools. 
I am, dear sir, 

Yours, &c. 

WILLIAM IIALL, 



236 



LETTER FROM REV. GILBERT ROCEWOOD TO HENRY B. 
SCHOOLCRAFT. 

Tuscarora Mission, August 1, 1845. 

Sir: — In the following communication yon can 
make use of such statements as you may deem pro- 
per. If all the statements should not be necessary 
for your official objects, yet they may be interesting 
to you as an individual. 

This mission was comn^enced about fifty years 
since, under the care of the " New York Missionary 
Society." It was transferred to the "United For- 
eign Mission Society," in 1821, and to the American 
Board of Com. for Foreign Missions," in 1826, 

The church was organized in 1805, with five 
persons. The whole number of native members 
who have united since its organization is o«e hun- 
dred and twenty -three. The present number of 
native members is fifty-three ; others five, total fifty- 
mght 

Between July 1st, 1844^and July 1st, 1845, there 
were only three admissions, two by profession, and 
one by letter. 

About one-third of the population attend meeting 
on the Sabbath. Their meeting house was built by 
themselves, with si little assistance from abroad. 

They have also a school house, the expense of 
which was nearly all defrayed by themselves. There 
is but one school among them, which is kept the 
year through, with the exception of the vacations. 
The teacher is appointed by the American Board. 



THIETY YFARfl A HUNTEB- 237 

The number of scholars the past year, is not far 
from 50. 

I have been among these Indians now nearly eight 
years. I can see that there has been an advance, 
both in their moral and physical condition. 

It is within the memory of many now living 
among them, when drunkenness was almost uni- 
versal ; now, comparatively, few are intemperate. A 
majority of the chiefs, are decidedly temperance 
men, and exert a salutary influence. They have a 
temperance society, and hold frequent meetings. 
They utterly forbid the traffic in intoxicating drinks 
on their own soil. 

The marriage relation is being better understood 
by them, and more appreciated. More of the young 
men and women enter into the marriage relation, in 
the regular christian way, than a few years ago. 
Four couple have been regularly married the past 
year. Number of deaths, 8 ; an unusual number 
since I have been among them. 

There is besides the church, above referred to, a 
Baptist church, organized a few years since, the par- 
ticulars of which, I am unable to give. For any in- 
formation you may wish respecting it, I would refer 
you to James Cusick, their minister. 

On the whole, there is much to encourage the 
philanthropist and the christian in labors for the 
good and well being of the Indians here, although 
we meet with many obstacles and difficulties in tho 
way. tmmmmmmmmmtnmmmm 

They are becoming more and more industrious in 



$3$ pioneer life; or, 

their habits, as the appearance of their farms, and the 
amount of produce, and their personal appearance 
will testify. 

With these brief statements, I subscribe myself, 
Yours, truly, 

GILBERT KOCKWOOD. 



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